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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. chip — to eat
  3. dip — to sink
  4. rock — music
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. spring — the season
  7. pass — a permit
  8. net — in sport
  9. rock — a stone
  10. track — a path
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. net — after costs
  14. track — to keep track
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. spring — a coil
  18. chip — for betting
  19. present — there
  20. present — the time now
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. track — a song
  23. net — for catching
  24. spring — of water

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