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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 124 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. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. land — ground
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. file — a line of people
  5. land — to come down
  6. fine — high quality
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. file — a document
  10. rash — a series
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. chip — to eat
  15. mark — a grade
  16. file — a tool
  17. mark — a trace
  18. chip — for betting
  19. toast — bread
  20. rash — hasty
  21. fine — all right
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. land — a country
  24. chip — in a computer

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