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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. mine — for digging
  3. cold — an illness
  4. plane — a tool
  5. net — for catching
  6. net — after costs
  7. present — the time now
  8. staff — employees
  9. rock — a stone
  10. chip — for betting
  11. present — there
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. rock — music
  14. cold — not warm
  15. net — in sport
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. staff — employees
  18. present — a gift
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. staff — a stick
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. chip — to eat

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