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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. content — the amount
  3. track — a path
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. field — farmland
  6. dip — to sink
  7. track — a song
  8. spring — the season
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. chip — to eat
  11. staff — employees
  12. spring — of water
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. spring — a coil
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. content — happy
  17. track — to keep track
  18. chip — for betting
  19. field — a subject
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. field — for sport
  23. staff — a stick
  24. lash — to lash out

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