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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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Word bank
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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: content · fan · chip · kick · kid · fine · hide · spring

  1. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. fine — high quality
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. spring — a coil
  9. kid — child
  10. kick — in football
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. content — the amount
  13. fine — all right
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. chip — for betting
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. spring — the season
  19. kid — to tease
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. spring — of water
  24. chip — to eat

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