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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. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. cell — a phone
  3. rule — government
  4. race — a contest
  5. race — humankind
  6. rash — hasty
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. chip — for betting
  9. race — the arms race
  10. bound — obliged
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. face — to confront
  13. bound — tied together
  14. face — to point toward
  15. chip — to eat
  16. face — part of the head
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. chair — a leader
  20. rash — a series
  21. cell — in biology
  22. rule — a law
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. rule — to rule out

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