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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: land · bat · chip · cue · craft · board · mine · dip

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. dip — to sink
  5. land — ground
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. cue — for pool
  9. craft — a skill
  10. craft — boats
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. land — to come down
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. mine — for digging
  17. chip — for betting
  18. board — a committee
  19. cue — a hint
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. cue — a signal
  22. board — to get on
  23. chip — to eat
  24. bat — the animal

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