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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. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. chip — to eat
  6. rash — hasty
  7. land — a country
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. drill — the tool
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. season — of the year
  12. drill — a practice
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. land — to come down
  15. land — ground
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. rash — a series
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. season — in sport
  21. wind — moving air
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. drill — army training
  24. wind — moving air

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