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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. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. cold — not warm
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. cold — an illness
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. can — to be able to
  8. chip — for betting
  9. root — of a plant
  10. bass — the fish
  11. ball — a great time
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. bass — low music
  14. can — a tin
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. root — the cause
  18. ball — a dance
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. root — of a word
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. can — a tin

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