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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. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. land — a country
  3. land — to come down
  4. band — a music group
  5. chip — to eat
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. press — newspapers
  8. last — final
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. wound — an injury
  12. last — to go on
  13. chip — for betting
  14. land — ground
  15. wound — an injury
  16. last — finally
  17. press — to push
  18. press — a publisher
  19. pop — soda
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. pop — to visit
  22. band — a ring
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. pop — music

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