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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 120 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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. spell — letters
  6. chip — to eat
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. land — a country
  10. chip — for betting
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. lean — to bend
  14. spell — magic
  15. land — to come down
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. lean — thin
  18. land — ground
  19. spell — a short time
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. cabinet — ministers

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