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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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. dip — to sink
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. chip — for betting
  5. staff — employees
  6. game — a match
  7. staff — a stick
  8. object — to protest
  9. bass — the fish
  10. chip — to eat
  11. staff — employees
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. game — wild animals
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. fork — in a road
  18. cell — in biology
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. bass — low music
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. object — a thing
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. object — an aim

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