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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. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. chair — a leader
  6. track — a path
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. chip — to eat
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. track — to keep track
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. rash — hasty
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. content — happy
  15. track — a song
  16. bat — the animal
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. chip — for betting
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. content — the amount
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. rash — a series
  24. racket — a loud noise

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