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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

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

  1. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. hand — help
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. mine — for digging
  7. chip — for betting
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. hand — in cards
  11. land — ground
  12. land — to come down
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. land — a country
  15. craft — boats
  16. craft — a skill
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. craft — a handicraft

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