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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'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. bark — to shout
  3. chip — for betting
  4. land — to come down
  5. dip — to sink
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. rule — a law
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. mate — a friend
  11. mate — to breed
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. sharp — clever
  17. snap — to click
  18. chip — to eat
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. land — a country
  23. rule — government
  24. mate — a partner

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