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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. spell — a short time
  3. chip — to eat
  4. staff — a stick
  5. firm — steady
  6. spell — letters
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. spell — magic
  10. staff — employees
  11. firm — a company
  12. degree — from a university
  13. staff — employees
  14. wax — to grow
  15. degree — temperature
  16. track — to keep track
  17. track — a song
  18. land — ground
  19. degree — an amount
  20. chip — for betting
  21. land — a country
  22. firm — decided
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. track — a path

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