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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: pit · bay · wound · chip · dip · foot · cap · march

  1. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. cap — of ice
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. march — music
  5. cap — a lid
  6. pit — in a race
  7. march — the month
  8. dip — to sink
  9. chip — to eat
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. wound — an injury
  12. march — the month
  13. pit — a hole
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. cap — a hat
  21. foot — a measure
  22. chip — for betting
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. wound — an injury

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