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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 is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. rule — government
  4. hand — help
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. cue — a hint
  8. cue — a signal
  9. season — in sport
  10. cue — for pool
  11. lean — to bend
  12. content — the amount
  13. hand — in cards
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. cold — not warm
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. chip — for betting
  18. rule — a law
  19. cold — an illness
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. season — of the year
  22. content — happy
  23. chip — to eat
  24. content — videos and posts

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