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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 116 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. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. chip — to eat
  3. pass — a permit
  4. kid — to tease
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. net — after costs
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. rush — hurry
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. kid — child
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. land — ground
  20. net — in sport
  21. net — for catching
  22. land — to come down
  23. chip — for betting
  24. bowl — a football final

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