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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 hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. tear — to rip
  4. fall — to drop
  5. chest — of your body
  6. fall — the season
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. club — for dancing
  9. pound — a weight
  10. chip — to eat
  11. spring — a coil
  12. tear — from crying
  13. fine — high quality
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. tear — from crying
  16. club — for golf
  17. fall — to drop
  18. fine — all right
  19. club — a group
  20. chip — for betting
  21. spring — the season
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. chest — of your body
  24. chest — a box

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