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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: chip · kick · plane · land · game · hide · saw · rash

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. kick — in football
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. chip — to eat
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. saw — the tool
  8. chip — for betting
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. land — a country
  13. plane — a tool
  14. land — ground
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. rash — a series
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. game — a match
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. land — to come down
  23. rash — hasty
  24. saw — the tool

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