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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. land — to come down
  3. tube — a container
  4. mine — for digging
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. season — in sport
  8. drill — army training
  9. craft — a skill
  10. craft — boats
  11. season — of the year
  12. land — a country
  13. chip — to eat
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. tube — the underground
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. drill — a practice
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. chip — for betting
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. drill — the tool
  23. land — ground
  24. tube — in a tire

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