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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. rule — a law
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. spring — the season
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. club — for dancing
  10. club — for golf
  11. rule — government
  12. key — the most important part
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. club — a group
  18. key — for a lock
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. key — in music
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. spring — of water
  23. chip — for betting
  24. chip — to eat

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