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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. kick — in football
  4. cold — not warm
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. cold — an illness
  7. chip — to eat
  8. chip — for betting
  9. fall — to drop
  10. rule — a law
  11. pop — soda
  12. spring — the season
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. pop — music
  15. spring — a coil
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. rule — government
  18. spring — of water
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. fall — to drop
  22. pop — to visit
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. kick — a thrill

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