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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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. pop — music
  6. chip — to eat
  7. pop — to visit
  8. season — of the year
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. pop — soda
  11. fine — high quality
  12. spring — a coil
  13. track — to keep track
  14. spring — the season
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. season — in sport
  17. fine — all right
  18. track — a song
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. chip — for betting
  22. spring — of water
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. track — a path

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