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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. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. net — in sport
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. plane — a tool
  5. net — for catching
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. net — after costs
  8. present — a gift
  9. present — the time now
  10. spell — letters
  11. land — ground
  12. fall — the season
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. land — to come down
  15. fall — to drop
  16. spell — magic
  17. chip — to eat
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. land — a country
  20. spell — a short time
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. fall — to drop
  24. present — there

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