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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. chip — to eat
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. squash — the sport
  7. dip — to sink
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. present — there
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. present — the time now
  12. roll — a list
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. present — a gift
  15. saw — the tool
  16. cell — a phone
  17. saw — the tool
  18. cell — in biology
  19. wake — a trail
  20. roll — a cake
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. squash — to crush
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. chip — for betting

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