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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. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. field — for sport
  3. chip — for betting
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. chip — to eat
  6. field — a subject
  7. rule — government
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. kid — to tease
  11. kid — child
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. face — to confront
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. face — part of the head
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. field — farmland
  18. bark — to shout
  19. rule — a law
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. row — to paddle
  22. row — a line
  23. face — to point toward
  24. squash — the sport

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