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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. spring — the season
  3. chip — to eat
  4. staff — employees
  5. spring — of water
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. spring — a coil
  8. key — for a lock
  9. staff — a stick
  10. chip — for betting
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. march — music
  13. key — in music
  14. season — in sport
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. staff — employees
  17. key — the most important part
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. march — the month
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. march — the month
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. coach — a trainer

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