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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 120 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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  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. bear — to put up with
  2. ground — crushed
  3. rest — what's left
  4. rule — government
  5. ground — a position
  6. rest — a break
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. ground — the earth
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. charge — electricity
  12. chip — to eat
  13. bear — the animal
  14. bear — the animal
  15. shower — rain
  16. charge — a price
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. shower — to wash
  19. rule — a law
  20. chip — for betting
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. charge — in control
  23. rest — what's left
  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