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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. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. season — of the year
  3. rest — a break
  4. bark — to shout
  5. rule — government
  6. rest — what's left
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. band — a music group
  9. rest — what's left
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. band — a ring
  12. land — ground
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. land — to come down
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. chip — for betting
  21. chip — to eat
  22. rule — a law
  23. season — in sport
  24. land — a country

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