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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. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. last — final
  3. last — to go on
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. cap — a hat
  7. ball — a great time
  8. rule — government
  9. cap — a lid
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. wound — an injury
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. ball — a dance
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. last — finally
  16. wound — an injury
  17. rule — a law
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. cap — of ice
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. fork — in a road
  23. chip — for betting
  24. fork — a garden tool

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