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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 light ________________ burned out.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. bulb — for light
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. date — the fruit
  6. pit — in a race
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. bulb — for light
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. cold — not warm
  15. chip — for betting
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. pit — a hole
  19. cold — an illness
  20. dip — to sink
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. dip — to dunk

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