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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 ball is in your ________________.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. rule — government
  4. chip — for betting
  5. suit — to fit
  6. shower — rain
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. court — of a king
  9. suit — clothes
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. stand — to bear
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. last — final
  14. last — to go on
  15. suit — in cards
  16. shower — to wash
  17. last — finally
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. rule — a law
  20. chip — to eat
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. court — of law
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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