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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 116 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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. spring — of water
  3. field — for sport
  4. chip — to eat
  5. spring — the season
  6. cue — a hint
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. court — for sport
  10. cue — a signal
  11. spell — letters
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. spring — a coil
  14. field — a subject
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. court — of a king
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. field — farmland
  20. cue — for pool
  21. spell — a short time
  22. court — of law
  23. chip — for betting
  24. chip — in a computer

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