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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. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. chip — for betting
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. track — a song
  7. charge — in control
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. race — humankind
  10. present — a gift
  11. race — a contest
  12. bat — the animal
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. charge — a price
  15. track — to keep track
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. spring — a coil
  18. charge — electricity
  19. track — a path
  20. chip — to eat
  21. spring — the season
  22. present — there
  23. race — the arms race
  24. present — the time now

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