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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. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. chip — for betting
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. land — a country
  6. net — for catching
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. chip — to eat
  12. clip — for paper
  13. land — to come down
  14. net — after costs
  15. charge — a price
  16. cap — a lid
  17. clip — a video
  18. clip — to cut
  19. land — ground
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. charge — in control
  22. charge — electricity
  23. net — in sport
  24. cap — a hat

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