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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 116 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. shower — rain
  3. chip — for betting
  4. squash — to crush
  5. saw — the tool
  6. dip — to sink
  7. saw — the tool
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. mug — to rob
  10. bat — the animal
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. squash — the sport
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. key — the most important part
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. mug — a cup
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. shower — to wash
  20. key — in music
  21. mug — a face
  22. key — for a lock
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. chip — to eat

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