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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 polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. squash — to crush
  3. rule — government
  4. rule — a law
  5. squash — the sport
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. chip — to eat
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. cap — a hat
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. chip — for betting
  14. cap — a lid
  15. tear — from crying
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. bore — to tire
  19. fork — in a road
  20. tear — to rip
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. tear — from crying
  24. bore — to drill

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