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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. spring — of water
  3. band — a music group
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. spring — a coil
  7. cue — for pool
  8. chip — for betting
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. dip — to sink
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. chip — to eat
  17. spell — magic
  18. band — a ring
  19. spell — a short time
  20. spring — the season
  21. cue — a signal
  22. spell — letters
  23. cue — a hint
  24. chip — in a computer

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