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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 120 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: cap · mark · shower · deal · fine · game · land · chip

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. cap — of ice
  3. cap — a lid
  4. land — to come down
  5. land — a country
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. game — wild animals
  8. chip — to eat
  9. game — a match
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. deal — to handle
  12. fine — high quality
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. mark — a trace
  15. shower — rain
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. land — ground
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. mark — a grade
  22. cap — a hat
  23. fine — all right
  24. chip — for betting

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