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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. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. season — of the year
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. band — a ring
  5. band — a music group
  6. chip — to eat
  7. spell — magic
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. ball — a great time
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. ball — a dance
  13. spell — a short time
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. spell — letters
  16. season — in sport
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. bound — certain
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. bound — tied together
  24. bound — obliged

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