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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. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. chip — for betting
  3. chip — to eat
  4. land — a country
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. fine — high quality
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. bore — to drill
  9. roll — a cake
  10. fine — all right
  11. spring — a coil
  12. roll — a list
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. bore — to tire
  15. firm — a company
  16. spring — of water
  17. firm — steady
  18. spring — the season
  19. band — a music group
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. land — to come down
  22. firm — decided
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. land — ground

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