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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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. content — happy
  3. wake — a trail
  4. drill — army training
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. mine — for digging
  9. chip — for betting
  10. object — an aim
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. land — to come down
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. land — a country
  17. chip — to eat
  18. land — ground
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. object — to protest
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. object — a thing
  23. drill — the tool
  24. content — the amount

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