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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. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. dip — to sink
  3. deal — to handle
  4. stock — goods
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. chip — to eat
  8. stock — shares
  9. chip — for betting
  10. capital — money
  11. capital — a city
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. season — in sport
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. season — of the year
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. perch — the fish

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