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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. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. present — a gift
  3. net — after costs
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. swing — in golf
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. chip — for betting
  8. spring — of water
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. game — wild animals
  11. net — for catching
  12. present — the time now
  13. net — in sport
  14. swing — to play on
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. swing — music
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. spring — a coil
  20. present — there
  21. spring — the season
  22. chip — to eat
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. game — a match

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