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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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. chip — to eat
  3. object — to protest
  4. mine — for digging
  5. root — of a word
  6. land — ground
  7. present — there
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. dip — to sink
  10. charge — a price
  11. object — a thing
  12. present — the time now
  13. land — to come down
  14. present — a gift
  15. charge — in control
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. land — a country
  18. chip — for betting
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. root — of a plant
  22. root — the cause
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. object — an aim

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