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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. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. spring — of water
  4. spring — the season
  5. land — ground
  6. net — in sport
  7. drill — army training
  8. present — there
  9. chip — to eat
  10. chip — for betting
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. present — the time now
  14. land — a country
  15. present — a gift
  16. land — to come down
  17. spring — a coil
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. net — after costs
  21. net — for catching
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. drill — a practice
  24. drill — the tool

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