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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 would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. last — finally
  4. field — a subject
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. swing — in golf
  7. sharp — clever
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. last — final
  10. chip — to eat
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. chip — for betting
  13. field — farmland
  14. swing — music
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. last — to go on
  17. rest — what's left
  18. dip — to sink
  19. swing — to play on
  20. bear — the animal
  21. bear — the animal
  22. rest — what's left
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. field — for 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