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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. pit — in a race
  4. chip — for betting
  5. scale — in music
  6. deal — to handle
  7. mine — for digging
  8. season — in sport
  9. chip — to eat
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. scale — size or range
  12. season — of the year
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. pit — a hole
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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