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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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. cap — of ice
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. track — a path
  8. track — a song
  9. cap — a lid
  10. rash — hasty
  11. saw — the tool
  12. chip — to eat
  13. chip — for betting
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. dip — to sink
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. cap — a hat
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. rash — a series
  22. sharp — clever
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. saw — the tool

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