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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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. present — a gift
  6. rule — government
  7. chip — for betting
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. saw — the tool
  11. present — the time now
  12. chip — to eat
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. row — to paddle
  16. row — a line
  17. land — to come down
  18. wake — a trail
  19. saw — the tool
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. present — there
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. land — ground
  24. rule — a law

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