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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 potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. net — in sport
  3. club — for golf
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. chip — for betting
  7. fork — in a road
  8. track — a path
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. net — after costs
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. season — of the year
  14. club — a group
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. track — a song
  18. season — in sport
  19. net — for catching
  20. track — to keep track
  21. deal — to handle
  22. club — for dancing
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. season — to add flavour

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