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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 116 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. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. chip — for betting
  3. degree — an amount
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. charge — electricity
  6. degree — temperature
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. charge — a price
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. ball — a great time
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. shower — rain
  13. bore — to drill
  14. row — to paddle
  15. shower — to wash
  16. ball — a dance
  17. bore — to tire
  18. charge — in control
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. degree — from a university
  21. row — a line
  22. rule — a law
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. chip — to eat

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