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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: kid · craft · mouse · chip · toast · chair · rock · cap

  1. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. cap — a lid
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. toast — bread
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. cap — of ice
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. chair — a leader
  10. craft — boats
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. chip — for betting
  15. kid — to tease
  16. rock — music
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. cap — a hat
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. craft — a skill
  21. chip — to eat
  22. kid — child
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. rock — a stone

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com