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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 newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. cap — of ice
  3. cap — a lid
  4. chip — to eat
  5. foot — a measure
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. clip — for paper
  8. clip — a video
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. rash — a series
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. clip — to cut
  15. kid — child
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. dip — to sink
  18. cap — a hat
  19. chip — for betting
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. kid — to tease
  24. rash — hasty

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