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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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. club — for dancing
  6. chip — to eat
  7. wound — an injury
  8. saw — the tool
  9. content — happy
  10. content — the amount
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. chip — for betting
  13. saw — the tool
  14. pass — a permit
  15. club — a group
  16. wound — an injury
  17. land — to come down
  18. deal — to handle
  19. land — ground
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. club — for golf
  24. pass — to spend time

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