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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. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. march — the month
  3. can — a tin
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. dip — to sink
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. march — music
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. stem — to come from
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. can — a tin
  14. chip — for betting
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. march — the month
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. chip — to eat
  19. hand — in cards
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. hand — help
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. can — to be able to
  24. chair — a leader

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