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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 has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. land — a country
  3. chip — to eat
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. game — a match
  6. field — for sport
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. band — a music group
  9. band — a ring
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. field — farmland
  12. deal — to handle
  13. bass — the fish
  14. land — ground
  15. land — to come down
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. game — wild animals
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. pass — a permit
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. field — a subject
  24. bass — low music

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