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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. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. bound — tied together
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. spring — a coil
  6. bound — obliged
  7. spring — the season
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. spring — of water
  10. bound — certain
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. squash — to crush
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. chip — for betting
  17. squash — the sport
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. wave — of the sea

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