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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. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. bass — the fish
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. chair — a leader
  10. chip — for betting
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. bass — low music
  14. hand — help
  15. rock — music
  16. chip — to eat
  17. dip — to sink
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. hand — in cards
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. rock — a stone
  24. mouse — the animal

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