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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. chip — for betting
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. cell — in biology
  6. race — a contest
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. degree — an amount
  9. degree — temperature
  10. hand — in cards
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. cell — a phone
  13. bear — the animal
  14. rule — a law
  15. chip — to eat
  16. craft — boats
  17. race — humankind
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. rule — government
  20. race — the arms race
  21. craft — a skill
  22. degree — from a university
  23. bear — the animal
  24. hand — help

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