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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: fan · foot · kid · hand · wound · hide · bowl · chip

  1. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. chip — for betting
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. chip — to eat
  6. wound — an injury
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. hand — in cards
  14. hand — help
  15. foot — a measure
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. kid — to tease
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. wound — an injury
  20. kid — child
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. bowl — a football final

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