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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: hand · race · ground · can · chip · date · season · land

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. race — humankind
  3. race — a contest
  4. chip — to eat
  5. land — to come down
  6. can — a tin
  7. can — to be able to
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. ground — a position
  10. season — of the year
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. chip — for betting
  13. hand — help
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. ground — the earth
  16. date — the fruit
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. ground — crushed
  19. race — the arms race
  20. hand — in cards
  21. season — in sport
  22. land — ground
  23. can — a tin
  24. hand — part of the body

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