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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 120 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. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. chip — for betting
  3. spring — of water
  4. chip — to eat
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. staff — employees
  8. last — to go on
  9. last — final
  10. spring — the season
  11. wind — moving air
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. staff — employees
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. shower — to wash
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. spring — a coil
  19. dip — to sink
  20. wind — moving air
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. shower — rain
  23. last — finally
  24. staff — a stick

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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