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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. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. rock — a stone
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. rock — music
  6. can — a tin
  7. chip — for betting
  8. cell — in biology
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. fork — in a road
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. can — to be able to
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. can — a tin
  18. bat — the animal
  19. rule — government
  20. rule — a law
  21. cell — a phone
  22. snap — to click
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. chip — to eat

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