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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. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. cell — in biology
  3. file — a line of people
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. rule — a law
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. object — an aim
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. cell — a phone
  11. chip — for betting
  12. chest — a box
  13. chest — of your body
  14. rule — government
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. kick — in football
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. file — a document
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. object — to protest
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. object — a thing
  23. chest — of your body
  24. file — a tool

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