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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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. chip — for betting
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. pitch — completely
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. staff — employees
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. cold — not warm
  9. saw — the tool
  10. cold — an illness
  11. bank — of a river
  12. chip — to eat
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. bank — for money
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. land — to come down
  19. saw — the tool
  20. staff — employees
  21. staff — a stick
  22. bank — for money
  23. land — ground
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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