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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. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. chip — for betting
  3. bank — of a river
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. bank — for money
  7. land — a country
  8. rush — hurry
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. kid — child
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. bank — for money
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. land — to come down
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. content — happy
  17. land — ground
  18. kid — to tease
  19. game — a match
  20. content — the amount
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. game — wild animals

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