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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. row — to paddle
  3. spell — a short time
  4. mark — a trace
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. last — final
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. last — finally
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. game — wild animals
  12. chip — to eat
  13. charge — a price
  14. game — a match
  15. spell — magic
  16. charge — electricity
  17. row — a line
  18. charge — in control
  19. mark — a grade
  20. spell — letters
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. last — to go on
  24. chip — for betting

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