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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. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. stand — to bear
  3. land — ground
  4. chip — for betting
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. row — to paddle
  8. bear — the animal
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. present — there
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. chip — to eat
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. present — the time now
  15. land — to come down
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. present — a gift
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. squash — to crush
  20. row — a line
  21. land — a country
  22. squash — the sport
  23. bear — the animal
  24. fork — in a road

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