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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. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  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 — for betting
  2. snap — to click
  3. race — humankind
  4. firm — decided
  5. rule — government
  6. race — a contest
  7. firm — steady
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. race — the arms race
  10. chip — to eat
  11. spring — a coil
  12. spring — the season
  13. spring — of water
  14. band — a music group
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. firm — a company
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. band — a ring
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  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