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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. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. ball — a dance
  3. row — a line
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. bound — tied together
  6. chest — of your body
  7. chip — for betting
  8. rule — a law
  9. row — to paddle
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. bound — certain
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. dip — to sink
  17. ball — a great time
  18. bound — obliged
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. chest — a box
  22. chip — to eat
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. chest — of your body

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