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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. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  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. spring — the season
  2. spring — a coil
  3. chip — to eat
  4. last — to go on
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. chip — for betting
  7. pound — a weight
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. field — for sport
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. rest — a break
  12. sharp — clever
  13. field — a subject
  14. last — final
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. rest — what's left
  17. last — finally
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. field — farmland
  20. rest — what's left
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. sharp — exactly
  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