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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. can — a tin
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. game — a match
  7. chip — for betting
  8. cell — a phone
  9. dip — to sink
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. rock — a stone
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. rash — a series
  15. game — wild animals
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. can — a tin
  18. rash — hasty
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. chip — to eat
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. cell — in biology
  24. can — to be able to

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