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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. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. rule — government
  3. chip — for betting
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. band — a ring
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. band — a music group
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. bulb — for light
  10. mark — a trace
  11. roll — a list
  12. rash — hasty
  13. bulb — for light
  14. date — the fruit
  15. mark — a grade
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. chip — to eat
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. rash — a series
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. rule — a law

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