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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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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: fine · cue · land · chip · lean · ground · mate · spell

  1. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. mate — a friend
  3. chip — for betting
  4. cue — a signal
  5. spell — magic
  6. spell — a short time
  7. land — to come down
  8. fine — high quality
  9. cue — for pool
  10. fine — all right
  11. mate — a partner
  12. lean — to bend
  13. land — ground
  14. chip — to eat
  15. land — a country
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. ground — crushed
  18. mate — to breed
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. spell — letters
  21. ground — the earth
  22. lean — thin
  23. ground — a position
  24. chip — in a computer

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