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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 120 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. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. sharp — clever
  7. rest — a break
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. rest — what's left
  10. chip — to eat
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. fork — in a road
  13. rule — a law
  14. chest — of your body
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. chip — for betting
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. rest — what's left
  21. chest — of your body
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. chest — a box

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