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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. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. spell — magic
  4. row — to paddle
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. chip — for betting
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. row — a line
  11. cell — a phone
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. spell — letters
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. chip — to eat
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. band — a music group
  19. cell — in biology
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. band — a ring
  22. dip — to sink
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. spell — a short time

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