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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: pitcher · land · rule · game · chip · cabinet · wake · mouse

  1. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  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. chip — to eat
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. land — ground
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. game — wild animals
  8. land — a country
  9. rule — a law
  10. rule — government
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. chip — for betting
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. land — to come down
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. wake — a trail
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. game — a match
  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