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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's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. rule — government
  3. shower — rain
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. rush — hurry
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. saw — the tool
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. chip — for betting
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. chip — to eat
  15. fork — in a road
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. saw — the tool
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. rule — a law
  24. plane — a tool

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