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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. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. chip — to eat
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. object — an aim
  5. mine — for digging
  6. lean — thin
  7. spring — of water
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. chip — for betting
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. spring — a coil
  15. cell — in biology
  16. chair — a leader
  17. lean — to bend
  18. cell — a phone
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. object — a thing
  21. object — to protest
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. chair — to sit on

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