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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 120 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 hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. spring — a coil
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. prune — to trim
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. squash — to crush
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. spring — the season
  13. squash — the sport
  14. chip — for betting
  15. spring — of water
  16. chip — to eat
  17. prune — to trim
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. plane — a tool
  21. mark — a grade
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. cabinet — ministers

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