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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. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. bear — the animal
  4. field — farmland
  5. bear — the animal
  6. spring — of water
  7. chip — to eat
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. mate — a friend
  12. spring — a coil
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. mate — a partner
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. field — for sport
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. chip — for betting
  20. spring — the season
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. field — a subject
  24. mate — to breed

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