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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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. spring — the season
  3. spring — of water
  4. spring — a coil
  5. ground — the earth
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. pit — in a race
  8. chip — to eat
  9. drill — army training
  10. ground — crushed
  11. ground — a position
  12. club — for golf
  13. clip — to cut
  14. drill — the tool
  15. pit — a hole
  16. rash — hasty
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. club — a group
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. club — for dancing
  21. chip — for betting
  22. clip — for paper
  23. drill — a practice
  24. clip — a video

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