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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. chip — for betting
  3. present — there
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. present — the time now
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. rule — a law
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. fork — in a road
  13. scale — size or range
  14. stem — to come from
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. bat — the animal
  18. rule — government
  19. chip — to eat
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. rush — hurry
  22. scale — in music
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. present — a gift

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