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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. chip — to eat
  3. land — a country
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. rule — a law
  6. rule — government
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. tube — a container
  10. rest — a break
  11. land — ground
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. bark — to shout
  14. craft — boats
  15. rest — what's left
  16. craft — a skill
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. tube — the underground
  19. rest — what's left
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. chip — for betting

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