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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 116 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 potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. deal — to handle
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. dip — to sink
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. degree — from a university
  14. degree — temperature
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. squash — the sport
  20. degree — an amount
  21. chip — for betting
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. squash — to crush
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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