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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. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. rule — government
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. chip — for betting
  6. tear — to rip
  7. ball — a great time
  8. march — the month
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. lean — to bend
  12. spell — letters
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. lean — thin
  15. tear — from crying
  16. march — the month
  17. spell — a short time
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. rule — a law
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. tear — from crying
  22. spell — magic
  23. chip — to eat
  24. ball — a dance

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