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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 124 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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: ball · land · pit · file · chip · row · mouse · present

  1. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. land — to come down
  3. ball — a great time
  4. ball — a dance
  5. file — a document
  6. land — a country
  7. present — there
  8. present — a gift
  9. file — a tool
  10. pit — in a race
  11. row — to paddle
  12. file — a line of people
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. present — the time now
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. pit — a hole
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. land — ground
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. chip — to eat
  23. row — a line
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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