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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. chip — to eat
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. chip — for betting
  5. ground — the earth
  6. kid — child
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. ground — a position
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. pop — music
  11. race — the arms race
  12. dip — to sink
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. stem — to come from
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. race — a contest
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. race — humankind
  21. ground — crushed
  22. pound — a weight
  23. pop — to visit
  24. kid — to tease

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