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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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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: kid · mate · squash · mine · file · craft · chip · key

  1. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. key — for a lock
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. squash — to crush
  5. kid — to tease
  6. key — in music
  7. craft — boats
  8. kid — child
  9. file — a line of people
  10. craft — a skill
  11. file — a tool
  12. mate — a friend
  13. mate — to breed
  14. squash — the sport
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. chip — to eat
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. mine — for digging
  21. mate — a partner
  22. key — the most important part
  23. file — a document
  24. mine — belonging to me

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