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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. date — the fruit
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. chip — to eat
  8. cue — for pool
  9. cue — a signal
  10. file — a line of people
  11. file — a document
  12. chip — for betting
  13. rule — a law
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. file — a tool
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. fork — in a road
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. cue — a hint
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. rule — government
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. pitcher — a jug

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