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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. spell — a short time
  3. chip — to eat
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. mug — a cup
  6. lie — to recline
  7. land — ground
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. cold — not warm
  10. cold — an illness
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. spell — letters
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. chip — for betting
  15. cue — a signal
  16. land — to come down
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. spell — magic
  20. cue — for pool
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. land — a country
  23. mug — to rob
  24. cue — a hint

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