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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. chip — for betting
  3. race — the arms race
  4. land — to come down
  5. toast — bread
  6. land — a country
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. mine — for digging
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. pass — a permit
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. land — ground
  16. race — a contest
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. chip — to eat
  19. race — humankind
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. racket — a loud noise

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