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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. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. last — finally
  3. rush — hurry
  4. last — final
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. land — ground
  10. toast — bread
  11. dip — to sink
  12. cap — a lid
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. cap — a hat
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. last — to go on
  18. cap — of ice
  19. chip — to eat
  20. lie — to recline
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. land — to come down
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. land — a country

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