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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. roll — a cake
  3. land — a country
  4. rock — music
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. chair — a leader
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. chip — for betting
  10. track — to keep track
  11. content — happy
  12. deal — to handle
  13. content — the amount
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. rock — a stone
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. chip — to eat
  18. track — a path
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. land — to come down
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. roll — a list
  23. track — a song
  24. deal — an agreement

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