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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. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. rule — government
  3. chip — for betting
  4. mug — to rob
  5. mug — a cup
  6. field — farmland
  7. rule — a law
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. field — for sport
  12. ground — crushed
  13. mug — a face
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. wound — an injury
  16. charge — electricity
  17. ground — the earth
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. charge — in control
  20. field — a subject
  21. ground — a position
  22. chip — to eat
  23. wound — an injury
  24. charge — a price

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