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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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. spring — the season
  3. rock — music
  4. wake — a trail
  5. kid — to tease
  6. club — a group
  7. rock — a stone
  8. kid — child
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. saw — the tool
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. spring — of water
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. chip — for betting
  16. chip — to eat
  17. club — for golf
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. club — for dancing
  24. spring — a coil

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