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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. chest — a box
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. drill — a practice
  5. spring — of water
  6. season — in sport
  7. chip — for betting
  8. chest — of your body
  9. net — after costs
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. drill — the tool
  12. dip — to sink
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. chip — to eat
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. drill — army training
  17. net — in sport
  18. prune — to trim
  19. chest — of your body
  20. spring — the season
  21. prune — to trim
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. spring — a coil
  24. net — for catching

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