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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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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 · arm · ball · kid · game · bore · fork · rock

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. fork — in a road
  5. game — a match
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. chip — to eat
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. bore — to drill
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. ball — a dance
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. chip — for betting
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. bore — to tire
  20. game — wild animals
  21. rock — a stone
  22. ball — a great time
  23. kid — child
  24. rock — music

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