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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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. chip — to eat
  3. land — a country
  4. race — a contest
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. rash — hasty
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. wind — moving air
  13. rash — a series
  14. race — the arms race
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. race — humankind
  19. date — the fruit
  20. land — to come down
  21. chip — for betting
  22. land — ground
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. date — on the calendar

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