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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. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. race — the arms race
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. craft — a skill
  6. craft — boats
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. chip — to eat
  9. race — a contest
  10. chip — for betting
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. spring — the season
  13. court — for sport
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. race — humankind
  16. court — of a king
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. scale — size or range
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. court — of law
  21. scale — in music
  22. spring — a coil
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. wave — of the sea

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