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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 assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. chip — to eat
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. fine — high quality
  5. bound — tied together
  6. bound — obliged
  7. pit — a hole
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. craft — boats
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. land — to come down
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. craft — a skill
  17. pit — in a race
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. bound — certain
  20. wind — moving air
  21. chip — for betting
  22. wind — moving air
  23. land — a country
  24. land — ground

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