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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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. land — a country
  4. land — ground
  5. land — to come down
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. game — wild animals
  8. rule — a law
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. bore — to tire
  11. charge — in control
  12. charge — a price
  13. charge — electricity
  14. cell — a phone
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. toast — bread
  17. can — to be able to
  18. can — a tin
  19. cell — in biology
  20. game — a match
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. bore — to drill
  24. rule — government

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