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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 was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. face — to confront
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. club — for dancing
  5. land — to come down
  6. chip — to eat
  7. cue — a signal
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. cue — a hint
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. toast — bread
  13. cue — for pool
  14. mine — for digging
  15. chip — for betting
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. land — ground
  20. club — for golf
  21. club — a group
  22. face — part of the head
  23. face — to point toward
  24. land — a country

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