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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. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. march — music
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. game — wild animals
  5. march — the month
  6. degree — from a university
  7. fine — all right
  8. spring — of water
  9. march — the month
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. chip — to eat
  12. fine — high quality
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. degree — temperature
  15. game — a match
  16. board — to get on
  17. degree — an amount
  18. spring — a coil
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. board — a committee
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. chip — for betting

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