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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 116 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 cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. suit — clothes
  2. rule — a law
  3. squash — the sport
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. land — a country
  6. stand — to bear
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. scale — size or range
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. game — wild animals
  11. suit — to fit
  12. squash — to crush
  13. hand — in cards
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. land — to come down
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. land — ground
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. game — a match
  20. scale — in music
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. hand — help
  23. suit — in cards
  24. rule — government

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