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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. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. track — a song
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. wound — an injury
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. mine — for digging
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. track — a path
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. land — to come down
  16. land — ground
  17. chip — to eat
  18. land — a country
  19. toast — bread
  20. wound — an injury
  21. chip — for betting
  22. track — to keep track
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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