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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 120 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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. chip — for betting
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. cue — for pool
  5. degree — from a university
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. tear — from crying
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. ground — the earth
  10. cue — a hint
  11. cue — a signal
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. degree — temperature
  14. degree — an amount
  15. tear — to rip
  16. tear — from crying
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. pass — a permit
  19. chip — to eat
  20. ground — a position
  21. land — to come down
  22. ground — crushed
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. land — a country

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