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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. swing — to play on
  5. pop — soda
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. club — for dancing
  8. chip — to eat
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. pop — to visit
  12. mine — for digging
  13. club — a group
  14. club — for golf
  15. pop — music
  16. swing — in golf
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. foot — a measure
  19. chip — for betting
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. swing — music
  22. dip — to sink
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. chip — in a computer

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