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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 has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. fall — the season
  3. wound — an injury
  4. bear — the animal
  5. chip — to eat
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. mark — a trace
  9. fine — high quality
  10. land — a country
  11. fall — to drop
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. bear — the animal
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. kid — child
  16. land — ground
  17. mark — a grade
  18. wound — an injury
  19. kid — to tease
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. fine — all right
  22. fall — to drop
  23. land — to come down
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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