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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 116 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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. cue — a signal
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. land — a country
  6. tear — from crying
  7. wound — an injury
  8. band — a ring
  9. chip — for betting
  10. tear — from crying
  11. land — to come down
  12. cue — a hint
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. board — to get on
  15. land — ground
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. band — a music group
  18. chip — to eat
  19. wound — an injury
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. board — a committee
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. cue — for pool
  24. chip — in a computer

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