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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: mate · cap · kid · lash · chip · trunk · track · craft

  1. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  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. chip — to eat
  2. cap — of ice
  3. kid — child
  4. mate — a friend
  5. track — to keep track
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. mate — a partner
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. mate — to breed
  10. craft — boats
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. track — a path
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. track — a song
  18. craft — a skill
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. chip — for betting
  21. kid — to tease
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. cap — a hat
  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