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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. rule — government
  4. spring — of water
  5. bore — to tire
  6. rash — hasty
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. chip — for betting
  9. file — a document
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. rule — a law
  12. stem — to come from
  13. bore — to drill
  14. spring — the season
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. file — a tool
  19. file — a line of people
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. chip — to eat
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. rash — a series
  24. spring — a coil

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