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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  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. game — wild animals
  2. foot — a measure
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. pit — a hole
  5. chip — for betting
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. land — to come down
  8. land — a country
  9. cap — of ice
  10. last — final
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. pit — in a race
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. last — finally
  17. cap — a hat
  18. chip — to eat
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. game — a match
  21. cap — a lid
  22. last — to go on
  23. foot — part of the body
  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