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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 potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. spring — a coil
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. bass — the fish
  7. march — the month
  8. march — music
  9. spring — the season
  10. chip — for betting
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. spring — of water
  13. date — the fruit
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. bass — low music
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. march — the month
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. bat — the animal

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