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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. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. spring — a coil
  3. spring — the season
  4. dip — to sink
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. spring — of water
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. cue — for pool
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. chip — for betting
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. saw — the tool
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. cue — a hint
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. cue — a signal
  21. cold — not warm
  22. cold — an illness
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. saw — the tool

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