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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 potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. club — for dancing
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. club — a group
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. rush — hurry
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. march — music
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. rock — music
  12. rock — a stone
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. spring — the season
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. march — the month
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. spring — of water
  21. club — for golf
  22. spring — a coil
  23. chip — for betting
  24. march — the month

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