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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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. spell — letters
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. game — a match
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. spell — magic
  11. object — to protest
  12. land — to come down
  13. object — an aim
  14. chip — for betting
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. chip — to eat
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. track — a path
  19. object — a thing
  20. game — wild animals
  21. track — to keep track
  22. land — ground
  23. track — a song
  24. spell — a short time

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