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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 120 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 ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. lean — to bend
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. bear — the animal
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. can — a tin
  10. court — for sport
  11. court — of a king
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. bear — the animal
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. can — to be able to
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. dip — to sink
  20. court — of law
  21. lean — thin
  22. can — a tin
  23. chip — for betting
  24. straw — dry grass

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