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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 124 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: dip · racket · cell · game · mine · chip · bear · patient

  1. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. dip — to sink
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. cell — a phone
  8. game — wild animals
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. game — a match
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. chip — to eat
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. mine — for digging
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. bear — the animal
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. cell — in biology
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. bear — the animal
  24. chip — for betting

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