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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 120 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. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. mug — a face
  3. ground — crushed
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. staff — employees
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. chip — to eat
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. dip — to sink
  10. staff — a stick
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. spring — the season
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. wax — to grow
  16. ground — the earth
  17. spring — of water
  18. mug — a cup
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. ground — a position
  21. mug — to rob
  22. staff — employees
  23. chip — for betting
  24. spring — a coil

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