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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 116 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 flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. rest — a break
  3. wind — moving air
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. chip — to eat
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. march — the month
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. spring — of water
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. rest — what's left
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. wind — moving air
  17. rest — what's left
  18. march — the month
  19. march — music
  20. chip — for betting
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. spring — a coil
  24. plane — a tool

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