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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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. face — part of the head
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. cold — an illness
  7. suit — clothes
  8. chip — for betting
  9. suit — in cards
  10. suit — to fit
  11. chip — to eat
  12. field — a subject
  13. rule — government
  14. mine — for digging
  15. face — to confront
  16. stock — goods
  17. cold — not warm
  18. field — for sport
  19. field — farmland
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. face — to point toward
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. stock — shares

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