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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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. dip — to sink
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. chip — to eat
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. chip — for betting
  9. cap — a hat
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. tear — from crying
  12. sharp — clever
  13. mine — for digging
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. tear — to rip
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. cap — a lid
  20. saw — the tool
  21. tear — from crying
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. cap — of ice

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