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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 I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. land — a country
  4. stock — goods
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. deal — to handle
  8. land — to come down
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. face — to confront
  11. face — to point toward
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. chip — for betting
  14. mine — for digging
  15. stock — shares
  16. cue — a hint
  17. fork — in a road
  18. chip — to eat
  19. land — ground
  20. face — part of the head
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. cue — for pool
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. mine — belonging to me

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