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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. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. land — a country
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. mate — a partner
  6. mate — a friend
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. land — to come down
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. chair — a leader
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. hand — in cards
  13. chip — for betting
  14. land — ground
  15. chip — to eat
  16. capital — money
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. capital — a city
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. hand — help
  22. deal — to handle
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. mate — to breed

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