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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: chip · cell · dip · rest · fall · cold · stick · lean

  1. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. cold — an illness
  3. rest — what's left
  4. cell — in biology
  5. lean — thin
  6. rest — what's left
  7. chip — to eat
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. lean — to bend
  13. cell — a phone
  14. fall — to drop
  15. rest — a break
  16. chip — for betting
  17. cold — not warm
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. fall — to drop
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. dip — to sink
  24. fall — the season

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