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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. rule — government
  4. chip — for betting
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. pitch — completely
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. hand — in cards
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. lean — to bend
  16. object — a thing
  17. hand — help
  18. game — a match
  19. lean — thin
  20. rule — a law
  21. chip — to eat
  22. game — wild animals
  23. object — an aim
  24. chip — in a computer

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