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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. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. net — after costs
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. net — for catching
  6. rest — what's left
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. bear — the animal
  9. rest — a break
  10. spring — the season
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. bear — the animal
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. season — in sport
  16. spring — a coil
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. stem — to come from
  19. deal — to handle
  20. chip — to eat
  21. net — in sport
  22. season — of the year
  23. spring — of water
  24. rest — what's left

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