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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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. land — ground
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. chip — for betting
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. stem — to come from
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. cell — a phone
  14. land — to come down
  15. chip — to eat
  16. rush — hurry
  17. land — a country
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. kid — child
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. kid — to tease
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. cell — in biology

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