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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: mine · chip · march · present · dip · spell · bear · date

  1. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. chip — to eat
  3. bear — the animal
  4. spell — magic
  5. march — music
  6. dip — to sink
  7. spell — letters
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. march — the month
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. present — the time now
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. march — the month
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. spell — a short time
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. chip — for betting
  21. present — a gift
  22. bear — the animal
  23. date — the fruit
  24. mine — for digging

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