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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 polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. cap — a lid
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. chip — for betting
  11. drill — a practice
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. drill — army training
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. dip — to sink
  16. rock — a stone
  17. wake — a trail
  18. rock — music
  19. drill — the tool
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. cap — a hat
  23. chip — to eat
  24. patient — a sick person

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