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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. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. pound — a weight
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. season — in sport
  5. spring — the season
  6. season — of the year
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. tear — from crying
  9. last — finally
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. chip — to eat
  14. last — to go on
  15. spring — of water
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. spring — a coil
  19. chip — for betting
  20. last — final
  21. tear — from crying
  22. pitch — completely
  23. tear — to rip
  24. pitch — a sports field

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