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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. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. rash — a series
  3. chip — for betting
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. bound — certain
  6. rule — government
  7. net — after costs
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. lean — to bend
  10. lean — thin
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. cell — in biology
  13. rule — a law
  14. bound — obliged
  15. cell — a phone
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. net — in sport
  19. net — for catching
  20. pitch — completely
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. rash — hasty
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. bound — tied together

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