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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. spring — a coil
  3. track — a path
  4. ground — crushed
  5. spring — the season
  6. spell — magic
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. track — to keep track
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. track — a song
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. spell — letters
  13. pound — a weight
  14. ground — the earth
  15. chip — for betting
  16. spell — a short time
  17. ground — a position
  18. chip — to eat

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