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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 116 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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. fall — to drop
  3. chip — for betting
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. land — ground
  6. game — wild animals
  7. object — a thing
  8. chip — to eat
  9. object — an aim
  10. hand — in cards
  11. fall — the season
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. fall — to drop
  14. cap — a lid
  15. game — a match
  16. rash — hasty
  17. cap — a hat
  18. land — a country
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. rash — a series
  21. land — to come down
  22. cap — of ice
  23. object — to protest
  24. hand — help

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