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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 hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. mate — a friend
  6. chip — for betting
  7. key — in music
  8. rush — hurry
  9. hand — help
  10. mate — to breed
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. key — for a lock
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. chip — to eat
  16. hand — in cards
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. spring — a coil
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. spring — the season
  22. mate — a partner
  23. key — the most important part
  24. nail — for a hammer

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