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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 is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. land — ground
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. mate — to breed
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. mate — a partner
  9. can — a tin
  10. chip — for betting
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. can — to be able to
  13. mate — a friend
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. can — a tin
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. mine — for digging
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. bat — the animal
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. chip — to eat
  23. land — to come down
  24. nail — on a finger

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