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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  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. cabinet — ministers
  2. mark — a grade
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. chip — to eat
  6. field — for sport
  7. dip — to sink
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. wind — moving air
  10. chip — for betting
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. wind — moving air
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. field — a subject
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. lie — to recline
  19. field — farmland
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. mark — a trace
  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