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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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468
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: chip · cap · kick · fall · bore · track · wake · hand

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. fall — to drop
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. bore — to drill
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. fall — to drop
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. fall — the season
  10. chip — to eat
  11. wake — a trail
  12. track — a song
  13. cap — a hat
  14. track — to keep track
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. chip — for betting
  17. cap — of ice
  18. bore — to tire
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. track — a path
  22. hand — in cards
  23. kick — in football
  24. cap — a lid

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