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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 train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. bass — the fish
  3. can — to be able to
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. land — ground
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. chip — to eat
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. can — a tin
  10. club — for golf
  11. cue — a signal
  12. club — for dancing
  13. can — a tin
  14. land — a country
  15. club — a group
  16. cold — not warm
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. cold — an illness
  19. cue — a hint
  20. land — to come down
  21. chip — for betting
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. cue — for pool
  24. bass — low music

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