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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 116 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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bay · chip · racket · rest · dip · land · bat · row

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. chip — for betting
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. land — ground
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. row — to paddle
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. dip — to sink
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. land — a country
  14. chip — to eat
  15. bat — the animal
  16. land — to come down
  17. rest — a break
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. rest — what's left
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. rest — what's left

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