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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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  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. leaves — lets stay
  2. land — a country
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. field — farmland
  8. object — a thing
  9. chip — to eat
  10. object — to protest
  11. field — a subject
  12. last — final
  13. field — for sport
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. chip — for betting
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. land — to come down
  19. object — an aim
  20. last — to go on
  21. land — ground
  22. last — finally
  23. bowl — a dish
  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