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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. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. mug — to rob
  4. rule — a law
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. cap — a lid
  7. squash — to crush
  8. chip — for betting
  9. board — a committee
  10. cap — of ice
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. mug — a face
  13. squash — the sport
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. mug — a cup
  16. drill — army training
  17. board — to get on
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. drill — the tool
  20. cap — a hat
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. chip — to eat
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. drill — a practice

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