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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. rash — a series
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. land — ground
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. rule — a law
  8. court — of law
  9. date — the fruit
  10. land — a country
  11. rash — hasty
  12. chip — for betting
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. court — for sport
  15. court — of a king
  16. pop — music
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. rule — government
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. land — to come down
  22. pop — soda
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. chip — to eat

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