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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. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. chest — of your body
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. cap — a lid
  5. land — a country
  6. cap — a hat
  7. chest — a box
  8. land — ground
  9. clip — a video
  10. clip — for paper
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. chest — of your body
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. clip — to cut
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. chip — for betting
  17. chip — to eat
  18. land — to come down
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. bound — certain
  21. bound — tied together
  22. cap — of ice
  23. pitch — completely
  24. bound — obliged

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