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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. mine — for digging
  3. face — to confront
  4. net — after costs
  5. spring — the season
  6. object — an aim
  7. spring — a coil
  8. net — for catching
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. chip — for betting
  11. chip — to eat
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. object — a thing
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. face — to point toward
  16. net — in sport
  17. spring — of water
  18. kid — to tease
  19. kid — child
  20. object — to protest
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. face — part of the head
  24. chip — in a computer

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