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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: spring · stick · chip · pop · pit · hide · court · row

  1. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. pop — to visit
  3. spring — of water
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. row — a line
  6. court — for sport
  7. pit — a hole
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. court — of a king
  12. spring — the season
  13. chip — to eat
  14. pop — soda
  15. pop — music
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. court — of law
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. pit — in a race
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. chip — for betting
  24. row — to paddle

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