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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. land — a country
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. land — ground
  6. bulb — for light
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. game — a match
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. game — wild animals
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. snap — to click
  18. chip — to eat
  19. chip — for betting
  20. bulb — for light
  21. stand — to bear
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. land — to come down

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