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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. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. capital — a city
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. rule — government
  6. chip — for betting
  7. toast — bread
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. saw — the tool
  13. mate — to breed
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. chip — to eat
  16. cold — an illness
  17. mate — a partner
  18. capital — money
  19. cold — not warm
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. mate — a friend
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. saw — the tool
  24. rule — a law

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