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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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. net — after costs
  3. plane — a tool
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. fine — all right
  6. fine — high quality
  7. degree — from a university
  8. rock — a stone
  9. net — for catching
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. branch — a division
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. chip — to eat
  16. land — to come down
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. land — ground
  19. net — in sport
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. chip — for betting
  22. degree — an amount
  23. rock — music
  24. degree — temperature

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