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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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. mine — belonging to me
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. mine — for digging
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. mate — a partner
  10. row — a line
  11. mate — to breed
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. date — the fruit
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. hand — help
  16. spring — of water
  17. row — to paddle
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. hand — in cards
  21. spring — a coil
  22. mate — a friend
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. spring — the season

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