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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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. rule — a law
  3. stock — shares
  4. land — a country
  5. ground — a position
  6. ground — crushed
  7. bore — to drill
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. rule — government
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. stock — goods
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. chip — for betting
  17. deal — to handle
  18. chip — to eat
  19. bore — to tire
  20. pitch — completely
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. land — ground
  23. land — to come down
  24. ground — the earth

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