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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. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. suit — clothes
  3. chip — to eat
  4. chip — for betting
  5. drill — a practice
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. deal — to handle
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. last — to go on
  10. land — ground
  11. land — a country
  12. drill — the tool
  13. suit — to fit
  14. clip — for paper
  15. wake — a trail
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. last — final
  18. clip — to cut
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. clip — a video
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. land — to come down
  23. drill — army training
  24. last — finally

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