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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 girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. chip — for betting
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. dip — to sink
  6. last — final
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. last — finally
  11. last — to go on
  12. stem — to come from
  13. bat — the animal
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. board — to get on
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. board — a committee
  22. row — to paddle
  23. chip — to eat
  24. row — a quarrel

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