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

  1. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. mug — a cup
  4. chip — to eat
  5. roll — a cake
  6. lie — to recline
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. can — a tin
  10. mug — a face
  11. can — to be able to
  12. roll — a list
  13. dip — to sink
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. bass — low music
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. bass — the fish
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. mug — to rob
  23. chip — for betting
  24. lie — an untruth

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