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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. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. chip — for betting
  4. mug — a face
  5. clip — a video
  6. rule — a law
  7. rule — government
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. clip — for paper
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. shower — to wash
  12. shower — rain
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. chip — to eat
  17. clip — to cut
  18. row — a line
  19. lie — to recline
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. mug — a cup
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. row — to paddle
  24. mug — to rob

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