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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. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. pop — music
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. fine — high quality
  7. land — ground
  8. season — in sport
  9. pop — to visit
  10. land — to come down
  11. prune — to trim
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. chip — to eat
  15. fine — all right
  16. season — of the year
  17. pop — soda
  18. last — to go on
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. land — a country
  22. last — final
  23. last — finally
  24. prune — to trim

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