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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 ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. chip — to eat
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. dip — to sink
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. rash — a series
  10. mate — to breed
  11. mate — a friend
  12. land — to come down
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. shower — to wash
  15. mate — a partner
  16. rash — hasty
  17. chip — for betting
  18. land — a country
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. land — ground
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. foot — a measure
  23. shower — rain
  24. fan — to cool the air

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