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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. spell — a short time
  4. land — a country
  5. chip — to eat
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. spell — letters
  9. row — a line
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. land — ground
  12. land — to come down
  13. key — the most important part
  14. chip — for betting
  15. key — in music
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. key — for a lock
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. row — to paddle
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. spell — magic

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