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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. staff — a stick
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. chip — to eat
  7. rule — government
  8. bound — certain
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. game — wild animals
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. staff — employees
  17. chip — for betting
  18. root — of a word
  19. staff — employees
  20. bound — tied together
  21. bound — obliged
  22. rule — a law
  23. root — the cause
  24. root — of a plant

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