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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. land — a country
  3. chip — for betting
  4. land — ground
  5. charge — electricity
  6. squash — the sport
  7. charge — a price
  8. face — to confront
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. chip — to eat
  11. face — part of the head
  12. bound — obliged
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. face — to point toward
  16. charge — in control
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. squash — to crush
  20. mark — a trace
  21. bound — tied together
  22. mark — a grade
  23. dip — to sink
  24. bound — certain

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