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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 got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. fall — the season
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. chip — to eat
  6. chip — for betting
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. field — a subject
  9. hand — help
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. field — farmland
  12. field — for sport
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. fall — to drop
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. roll — a list
  21. dip — to sink
  22. roll — a cake
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. fall — to drop

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