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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: kid · stand · lie · pop · row · chip · cap · saw

  1. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. pop — to visit
  3. stand — to bear
  4. kid — child
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. cap — of ice
  7. row — a line
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. chip — for betting
  11. chip — to eat
  12. kid — to tease
  13. saw — the tool
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. lie — to recline
  16. pop — soda
  17. cap — a hat
  18. pop — music
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. cap — a lid
  23. saw — the tool
  24. row — to paddle

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