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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. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. rash — a series
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. rash — hasty
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. court — for sport
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. scale — in music
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. mug — a face
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. mug — a cup
  16. court — of law
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. mug — to rob
  19. chip — for betting
  20. court — of a king
  21. plane — a tool
  22. dip — to sink
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. scale — size or range

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