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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. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. chip — to eat
  3. snap — to click
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. mate — a friend
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. rash — a series
  9. degree — temperature
  10. rule — a law
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. staff — a stick
  14. degree — from a university
  15. mate — to breed
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. staff — employees
  18. staff — employees
  19. degree — an amount
  20. chip — for betting
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. rash — hasty
  24. mate — a partner

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