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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: mouse · squash · lie · fork · chip · kid · date · scale

  1. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. kid — child
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. kid — to tease
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. fork — in a road
  8. squash — the sport
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. date — the fruit
  11. scale — size or range
  12. scale — in music
  13. chip — for betting
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. squash — to crush
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. lie — to recline
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. chip — in a computer

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