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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. chip — for betting
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. ground — the earth
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. ground — a position
  9. key — for a lock
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. spring — a coil
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. key — the most important part
  15. scale — in music
  16. key — in music
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. ground — crushed
  21. chip — to eat
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. spring — of water
  24. spring — the season

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