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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. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. mark — a grade
  3. chip — for betting
  4. fine — all right
  5. land — to come down
  6. fine — high quality
  7. land — ground
  8. mine — for digging
  9. season — in sport
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. suit — to fit
  12. chip — to eat
  13. cue — for pool
  14. season — of the year
  15. suit — clothes
  16. mark — a trace
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. cue — a signal
  21. land — a country
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. cue — a hint
  24. fine — a penalty

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