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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: season · band · key · pit · wind · dip · chip · roll

  1. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. wind — moving air
  3. chip — to eat
  4. key — for a lock
  5. band — a ring
  6. key — the most important part
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. band — a music group
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. roll — a list
  11. season — of the year
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. wind — moving air
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. season — in sport
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. key — in music
  18. pit — a hole
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. chip — for betting
  22. pit — in a race
  23. dip — to sink
  24. dip — to dunk

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