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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. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. land — a country
  3. land — ground
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. saw — the tool
  6. foot — a measure
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. land — to come down
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. chip — for betting
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. saw — the tool
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. chip — to eat
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. lie — to recline
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. pitch — completely

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