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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 muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. track — a song
  4. game — wild animals
  5. chip — for betting
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. mug — a cup
  8. foot — a measure
  9. mug — a face
  10. saw — the tool
  11. chip — to eat
  12. track — to keep track
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. spring — a coil
  15. mug — to rob
  16. game — a match
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. saw — the tool
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. spring — the season
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. spring — of water

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