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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 soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. cell — in biology
  4. rest — what's left
  5. dip — to sink
  6. chip — to eat
  7. rest — a break
  8. craft — a skill
  9. cold — not warm
  10. cell — a phone
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. chip — for betting
  14. drill — the tool
  15. craft — boats
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. rest — what's left
  20. cold — an illness
  21. wake — a trail
  22. drill — a practice
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. cold — the Cold War

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