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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 120 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: bay · snap · lean · rest · chip · kid · pitcher · cap

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. rest — what's left
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. chip — for betting
  5. chip — to eat
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. cap — a hat
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. rest — a break
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. cap — of ice
  12. lean — to bend
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. rest — what's left
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. cap — a lid
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. lean — thin
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. snap — to click
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. kid — to tease
  24. bay — a horse colour

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