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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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. board — a committee
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. key — in music
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. chip — to eat
  8. pass — a permit
  9. board — to get on
  10. spell — letters
  11. hand — in cards
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. fork — in a road
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. hand — help
  16. chip — for betting
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. key — the most important part
  19. spell — magic
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. rule — government
  22. rule — a law
  23. spell — a short time
  24. board — a flat piece

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