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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. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. chip — for betting
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. bass — the fish
  6. stem — to come from
  7. field — farmland
  8. bass — low music
  9. clip — to cut
  10. chip — to eat
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. can — to be able to
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. field — for sport
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. field — a subject
  19. content — happy
  20. clip — a video
  21. content — the amount
  22. can — a tin
  23. can — a tin
  24. clip — for paper

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