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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. spring — the season
  3. chip — for betting
  4. file — a document
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. chip — to eat
  9. kick — in football
  10. cap — of ice
  11. file — a tool
  12. cap — a lid
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. bark — to shout
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. file — a line of people
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. cap — a hat
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. spring — of water
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. kick — a thrill

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