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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. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. spring — a coil
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. mate — a friend
  7. chip — to eat
  8. chip — for betting
  9. spring — of water
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. mate — a partner
  12. dip — to sink
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. capital — a city
  15. band — a music group
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. mate — to breed
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. band — a ring
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. spring — the season
  23. capital — money
  24. stick — to attach or keep 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