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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. rule — a law
  3. chip — for betting
  4. club — for golf
  5. tear — from crying
  6. march — music
  7. club — a group
  8. tear — to rip
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. rule — government
  12. tear — from crying
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. march — the month
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. race — the arms race
  18. club — for dancing
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. chip — to eat
  23. race — a contest
  24. race — humankind

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