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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 116 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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. tear — to rip
  3. kid — child
  4. chip — for betting
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. tear — from crying
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. wake — a trail
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. bear — the animal
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. tear — from crying
  15. rule — a law
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. chip — to eat
  20. scale — in music
  21. bear — the animal
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. rule — government
  24. kid — to tease

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