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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. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. lean — thin
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. field — farmland
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. pop — music
  11. field — a subject
  12. field — for sport
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. pop — soda
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. land — to come down
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. pop — to visit
  19. chip — to eat
  20. lean — to bend
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. land — a country
  24. land — ground

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