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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. wake — a trail
  7. dip — to sink
  8. hand — help
  9. fine — all right
  10. chip — to eat
  11. bark — to shout
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. fine — high quality
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. chip — for betting
  19. hand — in cards
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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