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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: bulb · cold · fine · ball · dip · chip · pit · row

  1. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  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. ball — a dance
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. chip — to eat
  4. fine — all right
  5. pit — a hole
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. pit — in a race
  8. ball — a great time
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. row — to paddle
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. row — a line
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. cold — an illness
  16. bulb — for light
  17. cold — not warm
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. fine — high quality
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. dip — to sink
  23. bulb — for light
  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