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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. squash — the sport
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. rush — hurry
  6. chip — for betting
  7. spell — magic
  8. game — a match
  9. spell — letters
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. dip — to sink
  16. squash — to crush
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. game — wild animals
  19. snap — to click
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. chip — to eat
  24. mine — for digging

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