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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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. lie — to recline
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. land — a country
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. chip — to eat
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. chip — for betting
  12. cell — in biology
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. cell — a phone
  15. land — ground
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. land — to come down
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. bass — the fish
  20. rash — hasty
  21. wake — a trail
  22. bass — low music
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. pitcher — a jug

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