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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. chip — to eat
  3. present — there
  4. wind — moving air
  5. present — a gift
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. swing — to play on
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. spring — a coil
  11. bank — of a river
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. chip — for betting
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. swing — in golf
  16. wind — moving air
  17. date — the fruit
  18. foot — a measure
  19. spring — of water
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. spring — the season
  22. swing — music
  23. bank — for money
  24. bank — for money

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