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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  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. stick — a piece of wood
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. season — of the year
  4. track — to keep track
  5. ball — a dance
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. mine — for digging
  8. season — in sport
  9. file — a document
  10. track — a path
  11. file — a tool
  12. ball — a great time
  13. track — a song
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. chip — to eat
  17. file — a line of people
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. chest — a box
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. chest — of your body
  23. chest — of your body
  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