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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 116 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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. capital — money
  3. chip — to eat
  4. spell — magic
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. spell — a short time
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. land — a country
  12. spell — letters
  13. chip — for betting
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. capital — a city
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. land — to come down

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