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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. fall — the season
  3. rock — a stone
  4. pop — soda
  5. object — to protest
  6. roll — a list
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. pop — music
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. ground — crushed
  11. chip — to eat
  12. roll — a cake
  13. fall — to drop
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. dip — to sink
  17. pop — to visit
  18. ground — the earth
  19. rock — music
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. object — an aim
  22. fall — to drop
  23. object — a thing
  24. chip — for betting

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