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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 hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. spring — a coil
  3. board — a committee
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. fork — in a road
  6. rule — government
  7. bat — the animal
  8. chip — for betting
  9. board — to get on
  10. spring — the season
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. stock — shares
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. rule — a law
  16. stock — goods
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. chip — to eat
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. rule — to rule out

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