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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. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. chip — to eat
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. spell — a short time
  6. tear — from crying
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. tear — to rip
  12. land — to come down
  13. spell — letters
  14. land — ground
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. spell — magic
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. plane — a tool
  20. land — a country
  21. tear — from crying
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. chip — for betting
  24. plane — in geometry

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