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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. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. pitch — completely
  4. kid — to tease
  5. chip — for betting
  6. cue — a signal
  7. root — of a plant
  8. capital — a city
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. rule — a law
  11. root — the cause
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. cue — a hint
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. capital — money
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. fall — to drop
  18. chip — to eat
  19. cue — for pool
  20. root — of a word
  21. kid — child
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. fall — the season
  24. fall — to drop

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