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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 polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. spring — a coil
  3. chip — to eat
  4. cap — a lid
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. file — a tool
  9. staff — employees
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. chip — for betting
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. cap — a hat
  14. file — a document
  15. staff — employees
  16. rush — hurry
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. fine — all right
  20. spring — the season
  21. file — a line of people
  22. fine — high quality
  23. spring — of water
  24. staff — a stick

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