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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 ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  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. dip — a sauce
  2. chip — to eat
  3. spell — magic
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. fine — high quality
  6. fine — all right
  7. press — to push
  8. spell — letters
  9. press — newspapers
  10. spell — a short time
  11. prune — to trim
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. tear — to rip
  14. prune — to trim
  15. tear — from crying
  16. march — the month
  17. march — music
  18. press — a publisher
  19. march — the month
  20. chip — for betting
  21. tear — from crying
  22. dip — to sink
  23. prune — the fruit
  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