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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: net · club · ground · stand · chip · mug · saw · land

  1. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. ground — the earth
  3. mug — a cup
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. net — after costs
  7. net — for catching
  8. club — for dancing
  9. ground — crushed
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. saw — the tool
  12. saw — the tool
  13. land — a country
  14. chip — for betting
  15. land — to come down
  16. mug — to rob
  17. net — in sport
  18. ground — a position
  19. chip — to eat
  20. stand — to bear
  21. club — a group
  22. club — for golf
  23. land — ground
  24. stand — on your feet

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