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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. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. wound — an injury
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. file — a tool
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. chip — for betting
  7. file — a document
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. rest — what's left
  11. rest — a break
  12. land — a country
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. land — ground
  15. wound — an injury
  16. land — to come down
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. squash — the sport
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. squash — to crush
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. file — a line of people
  24. rest — what's left

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