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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. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. spring — the season
  3. spring — of water
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. game — a match
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. game — wild animals
  9. band — a music group
  10. spring — a coil
  11. band — a ring
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. ball — a great time
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. chip — to eat
  16. cell — a phone
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. rock — a stone
  19. craft — a skill
  20. cell — in biology
  21. ball — a dance
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. craft — boats
  24. rock — music

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