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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: kid · pop · present · rash · hide · capital · snap · chip

  1. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. capital — a city
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. kid — child
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. chip — for betting
  10. capital — money
  11. snap — to click
  12. present — there
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. pop — soda
  15. chip — to eat
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. present — a gift
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. rash — a series
  20. present — the time now
  21. pop — to visit
  22. kid — to tease
  23. pop — music
  24. rash — hasty

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