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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 has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. land — to come down
  3. file — a tool
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. mine — for digging
  6. fork — in a road
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. can — a tin
  9. file — a line of people
  10. land — ground
  11. stem — to come from
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. chip — to eat
  16. land — a country
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. file — a document
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. can — to be able to
  23. can — a tin
  24. mine — belonging to me

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