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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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. bass — the fish
  3. cap — a hat
  4. bass — low music
  5. cap — of ice
  6. stock — shares
  7. cap — a lid
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. deal — to handle
  10. file — a tool
  11. file — a line of people
  12. chip — to eat
  13. key — the most important part
  14. dip — to sink
  15. key — for a lock
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. chip — for betting
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. key — in music
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. stock — goods
  23. file — a document
  24. chip — in a computer

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