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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. spring — a coil
  3. season — of the year
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. spring — of water
  6. spring — the season
  7. can — a tin
  8. key — the most important part
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. chest — of your body
  11. chip — to eat
  12. key — for a lock
  13. chest — of your body
  14. fall — to drop
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. can — to be able to
  17. can — a tin
  18. season — in sport
  19. key — in music
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. fall — to drop
  22. chest — a box
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. chip — for betting

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