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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: chip · spring · date · season · pitcher · lie · object · fork

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. season — in sport
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. object — to protest
  6. spring — of water
  7. date — the fruit
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. spring — the season
  10. chip — for betting
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. chip — to eat
  14. season — of the year
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. fork — in a road
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. object — a thing
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. lie — to recline
  22. spring — a coil
  23. object — an aim
  24. lie — an untruth

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