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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. land — to come down
  3. land — a country
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. staff — employees
  7. bass — the fish
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. rash — a series
  11. chip — for betting
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. staff — a stick
  14. wound — an injury
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. land — ground
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. bass — low music
  20. chip — to eat
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. staff — employees
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. rash — hasty

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