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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. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. season — in sport
  3. track — to keep track
  4. track — a path
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. spring — a coil
  7. spring — the season
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. stem — to come from
  10. spring — of water
  11. season — of the year
  12. dip — to sink
  13. spell — a short time
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. track — a song
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. spell — letters
  22. spell — magic
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. chip — to eat

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