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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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Word bank
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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: stick · cabinet · fall · dip · roll · mine · chip · bat

  1. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  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. stick — to attach or keep to
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. bat — the animal
  4. chip — to eat
  5. chip — for betting
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. roll — a cake
  10. fall — to drop
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. fall — to drop
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. dip — to sink
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. roll — a list
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. mine — for digging
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  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