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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 asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. chip — for betting
  3. field — farmland
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. land — ground
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. field — a subject
  8. bat — the animal
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. rash — hasty
  11. rock — a stone
  12. rock — music
  13. land — to come down
  14. spell — letters
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. chip — to eat
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. land — a country
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. field — for sport
  21. spell — a short time
  22. rash — a series
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. rash — on the skin

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