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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. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. rule — government
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. chip — to eat
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. root — of a plant
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. rule — a law
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. stand — to bear
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. sharp — clever
  16. kid — to tease
  17. dip — to sink
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. chip — for betting
  20. kid — child
  21. root — the cause
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. root — of a word
  24. rule — to rule out

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