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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. spring — the season
  3. chip — for betting
  4. cap — of ice
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. board — a committee
  7. net — for catching
  8. net — after costs
  9. cap — a hat
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. prune — to trim
  12. march — the month
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. prune — to trim
  15. march — music
  16. spring — of water
  17. net — in sport
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. chip — to eat
  22. march — the month
  23. cap — a lid
  24. board — to get on

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