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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. chip — for betting
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. land — a country
  6. wax — to grow
  7. chip — to eat
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. land — to come down
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. land — ground
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. mine — for digging
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. mate — to breed
  17. game — a match
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. game — wild animals
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. mate — a partner
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. nail — for a hammer

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