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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. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. stand — to bear
  3. shower — rain
  4. chip — to eat
  5. swing — music
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. shower — to wash
  8. spring — the season
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. season — in sport
  11. season — of the year
  12. chip — for betting
  13. swing — in golf
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. swing — to play on
  16. fall — to drop
  17. fall — the season
  18. fall — to drop
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. spring — a coil
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. saw — the tool
  24. saw — 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