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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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. row — a line
  4. cell — a phone
  5. plane — a tool
  6. chip — for betting
  7. pitch — completely
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. mug — to rob
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. mug — a cup
  12. chip — to eat
  13. mug — a face
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. kick — in football
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. cell — in biology
  19. rule — government
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. row — to paddle
  24. rule — to rule out

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