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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. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. file — a tool
  3. chip — to eat
  4. chest — of your body
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. rule — a law
  7. pit — in a race
  8. pit — a hole
  9. file — a document
  10. rule — government
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. rest — what's left
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. content — happy
  15. chest — of your body
  16. file — a line of people
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. chest — a box
  19. rest — a break
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. rest — what's left
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. content — the amount

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