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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 120 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 got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. can — to be able to
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. can — a tin
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. spring — of water
  7. dip — to sink
  8. chip — to eat
  9. spring — the season
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. game — wild animals
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. chip — for betting
  18. fine — all right
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. can — a tin
  21. fine — high quality
  22. spring — a coil
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. game — a match

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