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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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. hand — help
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. land — a country
  5. chip — to eat
  6. fall — the season
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. ground — crushed
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. ground — the earth
  14. land — ground
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. chip — for betting
  17. land — to come down
  18. fall — to drop
  19. ground — a position
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. hand — in cards
  22. fall — to drop
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. wax — to grow

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