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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. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. wind — moving air
  7. chip — to eat
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. rush — hurry
  10. cold — an illness
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. ground — a position
  13. firm — steady
  14. firm — a company
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. firm — decided
  17. wind — moving air
  18. chip — for betting
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. ground — the earth
  22. ground — crushed
  23. dip — to sink
  24. cold — not warm

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