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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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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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  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. rule — government
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. pound — a weight
  4. band — a music group
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. chip — to eat
  8. kid — child
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. kid — to tease
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. lean — thin
  16. lean — to bend
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. band — a ring
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. bear — the animal
  22. bear — the animal
  23. rule — a law
  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