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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. kick — in football
  3. spring — a coil
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. present — a gift
  6. present — the time now
  7. season — of the year
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. drill — army training
  11. mine — for digging
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. drill — a practice
  14. season — in sport
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. spring — of water
  17. chip — to eat
  18. chip — for betting
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. drill — the tool
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. present — there
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. spring — the season

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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