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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 hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  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. mark — a trace
  2. cap — a hat
  3. chip — for betting
  4. chip — to eat
  5. cold — not warm
  6. spring — the season
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. mark — a grade
  10. spring — a coil
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. cap — a lid
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. track — to keep track
  15. cold — an illness
  16. track — a song
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. ball — a dance
  19. ball — a great time
  20. cap — of ice
  21. ball — a round shape
  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