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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. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. chip — to eat
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. mine — for digging
  5. season — in sport
  6. rule — government
  7. land — ground
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. wind — moving air
  10. chip — for betting
  11. season — of the year
  12. land — to come down
  13. wind — moving air
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. bat — the animal
  16. rule — a law
  17. land — a country
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. wind — to turn a key

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