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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 116 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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. chip — for betting
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. dip — to sink
  5. cell — a phone
  6. rush — hurry
  7. court — of a king
  8. stand — to bear
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. court — of law
  11. row — to paddle
  12. hand — help
  13. cell — in biology
  14. hand — in cards
  15. court — for sport
  16. row — a line
  17. chip — to eat
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. hand — part of the body

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