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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. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. cell — in biology
  3. drill — army training
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. drill — the tool
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. drill — a practice
  11. wax — to grow
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. chip — for betting
  14. snap — to click
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. dip — to sink
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. chip — to eat
  20. scale — size or range
  21. cell — a phone
  22. scale — in music
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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