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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 ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. chip — for betting
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. race — humankind
  7. tear — from crying
  8. bound — tied together
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. last — final
  12. tear — to rip
  13. bound — certain
  14. deal — to handle
  15. rule — government
  16. race — a contest
  17. race — the arms race
  18. chip — to eat
  19. last — finally
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. tear — from crying
  22. bound — obliged
  23. rule — a law
  24. last — to go on

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