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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. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. ball — a great time
  5. ball — a dance
  6. land — to come down
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. land — a country
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. wind — moving air
  13. land — ground
  14. squash — the sport
  15. row — to paddle
  16. wind — moving air
  17. fine — high quality
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. squash — to crush
  20. chip — to eat
  21. row — a line
  22. fine — all right
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. chip — in a computer

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