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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. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. chip — to eat
  3. perch — the fish
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. land — a country
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. land — to come down
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. lie — to recline
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. lean — thin
  19. chip — for betting
  20. lean — to bend
  21. rule — a law
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. land — ground

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