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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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. spell — letters
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. bank — for money
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. bank — for money
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. land — to come down
  10. spell — magic
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. stand — to bear
  15. chip — to eat
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. land — ground
  18. spell — a short time
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. snap — to click
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. chip — for betting
  24. bank — of a river

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