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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. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. chip — to eat
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. land — a country
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. mine — for digging
  8. chip — for betting
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. land — to come down
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. sharp — clever
  16. land — ground
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. roll — a cake
  23. roll — a list
  24. sharp — with an edge

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