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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. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. present — the time now
  3. land — ground
  4. race — the arms race
  5. wake — a trail
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. rush — hurry
  9. land — to come down
  10. present — a gift
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. race — a contest
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. content — happy
  16. race — humankind
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. present — there
  20. chip — for betting
  21. land — a country
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. content — the amount

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