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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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. spring — a coil
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. spring — of water
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. game — a match
  11. season — in sport
  12. chip — to eat
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. game — wild animals
  17. chip — for betting
  18. bat — the animal
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. spring — the season
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. season — of the year

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