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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 120 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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. chip — to eat
  3. present — there
  4. spell — a short time
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. plane — a tool
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. spell — letters
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. cap — a hat
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. present — the time now
  15. spell — magic
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. present — a gift
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. season — in sport
  20. cap — a lid
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. chip — for betting
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. cap — of ice

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