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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. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. last — final
  4. field — for sport
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. last — finally
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. field — a subject
  10. spell — a short time
  11. wake — a trail
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. last — to go on
  14. chip — to eat
  15. season — of the year
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. spell — letters
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. dip — to sink
  20. toast — bread
  21. spell — magic
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. field — farmland
  24. season — in sport

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