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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 120 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: present · can · mate · chip · fall · dip · chest · swing

  1. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. fall — to drop
  3. can — a tin
  4. chip — to eat
  5. fall — the season
  6. mate — a partner
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. present — a gift
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. dip — to sink
  11. present — the time now
  12. chest — of your body
  13. chip — for betting
  14. mate — to breed
  15. fall — to drop
  16. swing — to play on
  17. mate — a friend
  18. swing — in golf
  19. can — a tin
  20. chest — of your body
  21. swing — music
  22. can — to be able to
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. present — there

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