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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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. row — a line
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. chip — to eat
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. degree — temperature
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. track — a path
  11. stem — to come from
  12. row — to paddle
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. track — to keep track
  17. degree — an amount
  18. track — a song
  19. dip — to sink
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. foot — a measure
  23. degree — from a university
  24. chip — for betting

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