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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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. chip — for betting
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. bound — certain
  6. content — the amount
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. bound — obliged
  11. shower — rain
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. rule — government
  14. bound — tied together
  15. shower — to wash
  16. content — happy
  17. hand — help
  18. chip — to eat
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. hand — in cards
  23. dip — to sink
  24. pass — a permit

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