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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 ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. pit — a hole
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. key — the most important part
  8. chip — for betting
  9. vault — a safe
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. board — to get on
  12. cold — an illness
  13. board — a committee
  14. cold — not warm
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. key — for a lock
  20. key — in music
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. dip — to sink
  23. chip — to eat
  24. pit — in a race

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