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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 potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. land — to come down
  3. charge — electricity
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. charge — in control
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. stock — goods
  9. ground — crushed
  10. chip — for betting
  11. wound — an injury
  12. ground — the earth
  13. ground — a position
  14. charge — a price
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. land — ground
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. ball — a great time
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. stock — shares
  22. ball — a dance
  23. land — a country
  24. wound — an injury

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