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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. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. season — of the year
  3. root — of a word
  4. land — to come down
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. land — ground
  9. season — in sport
  10. root — the cause
  11. craft — a skill
  12. craft — boats
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. root — of a plant
  16. rule — a law
  17. land — a country
  18. mine — for digging
  19. chip — for betting
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. rule — government
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. mine — belonging to me

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