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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. chip — to eat
  3. staff — employees
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. roll — a cake
  6. plane — a tool
  7. staff — a stick
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. roll — a list
  10. chip — for betting
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. rule — a law
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. saw — the tool
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. prune — to trim
  18. saw — the tool
  19. prune — to trim
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. staff — employees
  24. rule — government

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