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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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. can — a tin
  3. chip — to eat
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. rash — a series
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. land — ground
  9. chip — for betting
  10. can — to be able to
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. row — to paddle
  15. row — a line
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. rash — hasty
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. land — to come down
  20. lie — to recline
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. land — a country
  23. wound — an injury
  24. wound — an injury

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