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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. rule — a law
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. mate — a friend
  10. chip — to eat
  11. chip — for betting
  12. rule — government
  13. kid — child
  14. shower — rain
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. dip — to sink
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. mate — to breed
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. mate — a partner
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. kid — to tease

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