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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 124 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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  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. land — ground
  2. chip — to eat
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. rule — a law
  6. swing — in golf
  7. fall — to drop
  8. land — a country
  9. press — a publisher
  10. chip — for betting
  11. toast — bread
  12. swing — to play on
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. press — to push
  16. kid — to tease
  17. fall — the season
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. land — to come down
  20. kid — child
  21. press — newspapers
  22. fall — to drop
  23. swing — music
  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