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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. present — a gift
  3. spring — the season
  4. spring — a coil
  5. lie — to recline
  6. present — there
  7. plane — a tool
  8. mine — for digging
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. spring — of water
  14. mug — to rob
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. mug — a face
  17. wound — an injury
  18. chip — to eat
  19. wound — an injury
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. mug — a cup
  24. chip — for betting

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