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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. pop — music
  6. pop — soda
  7. key — in music
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. key — for a lock
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. chip — to eat
  15. key — the most important part
  16. wake — a trail
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. dip — to sink
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. board — a committee
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. chip — for betting
  24. board — to get on

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