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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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. season — in sport
  3. saw — the tool
  4. chip — for betting
  5. chip — to eat
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. season — of the year
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. rest — what's left
  12. rule — government
  13. rest — a break
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. pound — a weight
  17. cold — an illness
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. cold — not warm
  20. rest — what's left
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. saw — the tool
  24. pound — to hit hard

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