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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. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. kid — to tease
  3. mug — to rob
  4. mug — a cup
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. rest — a break
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. wound — an injury
  10. rule — a law
  11. rest — what's left
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. rest — what's left
  14. last — to go on
  15. last — finally
  16. rule — government
  17. chip — to eat
  18. mug — a face
  19. wound — an injury
  20. kid — child
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. wake — a trail
  24. last — final

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