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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. fall — to drop
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. fall — the season
  8. bear — the animal
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. fall — to drop
  11. land — ground
  12. chip — to eat
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. bear — the animal
  15. pound — a weight
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. mine — for digging
  18. sharp — clever
  19. spell — magic
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. spell — letters
  22. chip — for betting
  23. land — to come down
  24. land — a country

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