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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. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. swing — to play on
  3. object — to protest
  4. land — a country
  5. swing — music
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. land — to come down
  8. pop — to visit
  9. chip — for betting
  10. pop — music
  11. pop — soda
  12. wake — a trail
  13. firm — a company
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. object — a thing
  17. mine — for digging
  18. swing — in golf
  19. chip — to eat
  20. object — an aim
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. land — ground
  23. firm — steady
  24. mine — an explosive

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