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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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. staff — a stick
  3. firm — decided
  4. firm — steady
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. wound — an injury
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. spring — a coil
  9. pitch — completely
  10. staff — employees
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. firm — a company
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. wound — an injury
  16. season — of the year
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. spring — the season
  19. spring — of water
  20. staff — employees
  21. season — in sport
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. chip — for betting
  24. chip — to eat

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