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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 120 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 lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. chip — to eat
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. net — for catching
  6. stand — to bear
  7. spring — a coil
  8. fine — all right
  9. season — of the year
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. chest — of your body
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. chest — of your body
  15. net — in sport
  16. spring — of water
  17. spring — the season
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. net — after costs
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. fine — high quality
  23. chip — for betting
  24. season — in sport

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