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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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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: mine · racket · mate · spring · object · chip · board · pop

  1. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. board — to get on
  4. pop — to visit
  5. object — a thing
  6. mate — a partner
  7. mate — a friend
  8. board — a committee
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. mine — for digging
  12. chip — for betting
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. object — to protest
  15. object — an aim
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. pop — soda
  18. spring — a coil
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. chip — to eat
  22. pop — music
  23. spring — of water
  24. spring — the season

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