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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: bat · chip · mug · fork · board · land · rush · spring

  1. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. chip — to eat
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. chip — for betting
  5. rush — hurry
  6. bat — the animal
  7. land — a country
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. land — to come down
  10. board — to get on
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. spring — a coil
  13. mug — a face
  14. land — ground
  15. spring — the season
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. mug — to rob
  19. board — a committee
  20. fork — in a road
  21. mug — a cup
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. spring — of water
  24. rush — to hurry

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