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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. land — a country
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. tube — a container
  6. track — a path
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. land — ground
  10. track — to keep track
  11. tube — the underground
  12. club — a group
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. staff — employees
  16. club — for golf
  17. staff — employees
  18. chip — to eat
  19. chip — for betting
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. staff — a stick
  22. mine — for digging
  23. land — to come down
  24. track — a song

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