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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: mug · chip · rock · bowl · wound · dip · ground · kid

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. mug — to rob
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. wound — an injury
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. ground — a position
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. mug — a face
  10. ground — the earth
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. mug — a cup
  14. kid — to tease
  15. wound — an injury
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. chip — to eat
  18. chip — for betting
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. dip — to sink
  21. rock — a stone
  22. rock — music
  23. kid — child
  24. ground — crushed

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