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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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. land — to come down
  3. rest — what's left
  4. chip — to eat
  5. rest — what's left
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. spring — of water
  8. date — the fruit
  9. swing — music
  10. land — ground
  11. rest — a break
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. swing — in golf
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. spring — the season
  17. pitch — completely
  18. swing — to play on
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. chip — for betting
  22. spring — a coil
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. leaves — of a tree

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