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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. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  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. chip — to eat
  2. chip — for betting
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. net — for catching
  5. saw — the tool
  6. land — ground
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. net — in sport
  9. foot — a measure
  10. kid — to tease
  11. net — after costs
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. saw — the tool
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. scale — size or range
  18. kid — child
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. land — to come down
  22. scale — in music
  23. ruler — for measuring
  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