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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. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. When will it ________________ you to start?

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. dip — to sink
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. cold — not warm
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. chair — a leader
  7. cold — an illness
  8. snap — to click
  9. chip — for betting
  10. suit — clothes
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. staff — employees
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. staff — employees
  15. key — the most important part
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. key — in music
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. key — for a lock
  20. chip — to eat
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. staff — a stick
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. suit — to fit

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