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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. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. chip — for betting
  4. bore — to tire
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. cap — a hat
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. net — after costs
  9. net — in sport
  10. fine — high quality
  11. rash — a series
  12. wake — a trail
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. rash — hasty
  15. net — for catching
  16. fine — all right
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. cap — a lid
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. bore — to drill
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. cap — of ice
  24. dip — to sink

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