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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. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. wake — a trail
  4. rash — a series
  5. capital — a city
  6. chip — for betting
  7. fall — the season
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. field — a subject
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. fall — to drop
  13. field — farmland
  14. capital — money
  15. rash — hasty
  16. field — for sport
  17. dip — to sink
  18. chip — to eat
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. fall — to drop
  24. dip — a sauce

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