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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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. fall — to drop
  3. fine — high quality
  4. saw — the tool
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. fall — to drop
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. chip — for betting
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. fall — the season
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. fine — all right
  18. chip — to eat
  19. land — a country
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. land — to come down
  23. saw — the tool
  24. mine — for digging

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