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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. file — a line of people
  3. chip — to eat
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. file — a tool
  6. wake — a trail
  7. cell — in biology
  8. bound — tied together
  9. file — a document
  10. land — a country
  11. present — a gift
  12. chip — for betting
  13. cell — a phone
  14. present — there
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. present — the time now
  18. bound — certain
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. bound — obliged
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. land — ground
  23. land — to come down
  24. deal — to handle

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