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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 like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. drill — army training
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. drill — the tool
  5. land — to come down
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. land — a country
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. ground — a position
  11. dip — to sink
  12. spring — of water
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. ground — crushed
  15. spring — a coil
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. land — ground
  18. spring — the season
  19. lie — to recline
  20. chip — to eat
  21. ground — the earth
  22. drill — a practice
  23. chip — for betting
  24. dip — a sauce

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