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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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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. land — a country
  3. rock — music
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. land — to come down
  7. rock — a stone
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. clip — a video
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. land — ground
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. clip — to cut
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. chip — for betting
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. chip — to eat

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