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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 120 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. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. fine — all right
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. swing — music
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. land — to come down
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. chip — for betting
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. land — a country
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. land — ground
  18. fine — high quality
  19. swing — in golf
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. mine — for digging
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. swing — to play on

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