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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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. rush — hurry
  3. band — a ring
  4. chip — to eat
  5. file — a line of people
  6. land — to come down
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. band — a music group
  10. chip — for betting
  11. file — a document
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. land — ground
  14. rock — music
  15. file — a tool
  16. can — a tin
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. can — to be able to
  19. rock — a stone
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. can — a tin

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