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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
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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 · track · game · chip · saw · ball · hand · lean

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. game — a match
  3. hand — in cards
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. spring — a coil
  7. game — wild animals
  8. spring — the season
  9. hand — help
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. lean — thin
  12. chip — for betting
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. track — a path
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. track — a song
  17. spring — of water
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. lean — to bend
  20. ball — a dance
  21. track — to keep track
  22. chip — to eat
  23. saw — the tool
  24. saw — the tool

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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