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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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. fine — all right
  3. land — ground
  4. chip — to eat
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. pop — to visit
  7. tear — from crying
  8. pop — music
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. pop — soda
  11. chip — for betting
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. track — a path
  14. fine — high quality
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. tear — from crying
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. land — to come down
  20. track — to keep track
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. sharp — clever
  23. track — a song
  24. land — a country

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