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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 116 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 has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. land — ground
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. lean — to bend
  7. lean — thin
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. spell — a short time
  10. spell — magic
  11. saw — the tool
  12. spell — letters
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. court — for sport
  15. land — to come down
  16. land — a country
  17. court — of law
  18. last — finally
  19. last — to go on
  20. court — of a king
  21. snap — to click
  22. last — final
  23. saw — the tool
  24. chip — to eat

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