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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. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. wound — an injury
  9. dip — to sink
  10. craft — a skill
  11. craft — boats
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. perch — the fish
  14. wound — an injury
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. stem — to come from
  21. chip — for betting
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. craft — a handicraft

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