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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: chip · calf · dip · spring · chest · fork · cell · fine

  1. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. cell — in biology
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. fine — all right
  6. chip — to eat
  7. chest — of your body
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. cell — a phone
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. dip — to sink
  15. spring — of water
  16. fine — high quality
  17. chest — a box
  18. spring — a coil
  19. chest — of your body
  20. fork — in a road
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. spring — the season
  23. chip — for betting
  24. cell — in a prison

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