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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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. drill — the tool
  4. roll — a cake
  5. drill — army training
  6. roll — a list
  7. chip — to eat
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. rule — a law
  10. drill — a practice
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. file — a line of people
  13. rule — government
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. file — a document
  17. chip — for betting
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. file — a tool
  20. wind — moving air
  21. wind — moving air
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. rule — to rule out

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