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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 120 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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. chip — for betting
  3. wind — moving air
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. land — ground
  7. branch — a division
  8. mark — a trace
  9. wake — a trail
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. wind — moving air
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. land — to come down
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. season — of the year
  20. mark — a grade
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. season — in sport
  23. chip — to eat
  24. coach — a trainer

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