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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. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. field — for sport
  7. chip — for betting
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. dip — to sink
  10. mate — to breed
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. row — to paddle
  13. mate — a partner
  14. field — a subject
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. bass — low music
  17. bass — the fish
  18. field — farmland
  19. row — a line
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. scale — in music
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. scale — size or range
  24. mate — a friend

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