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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 120 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 is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. land — to come down
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. shower — rain
  6. deal — to handle
  7. land — ground
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. tube — the underground
  11. stock — goods
  12. stock — shares
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. bat — the animal
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. chip — for betting
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. chip — to eat
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. shower — to wash
  23. tube — a container
  24. bat — in an idiom

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