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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. present — there
  3. mug — a face
  4. mug — to rob
  5. wake — a trail
  6. chip — to eat
  7. spring — a coil
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. board — a committee
  10. board — to get on
  11. land — a country
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. present — the time now
  15. spring — of water
  16. chip — for betting
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. dip — to sink
  19. present — a gift
  20. spring — the season
  21. mug — a cup
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. land — to come down

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