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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. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. spring — a coil
  3. land — to come down
  4. land — a country
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. pit — in a race
  7. ball — a great time
  8. squash — to crush
  9. mark — a trace
  10. spring — of water
  11. mark — a grade
  12. spring — the season
  13. squash — the sport
  14. pit — a hole
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. chip — for betting
  18. branch — a division
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. land — ground
  21. chip — to eat
  22. ball — a dance
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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