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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. rule — a law
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. rule — government
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. current — electric
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. current — happening now
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. cell — in biology
  13. present — there
  14. date — the fruit
  15. roll — a list
  16. chip — to eat
  17. present — the time now
  18. current — of water
  19. roll — a cake
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. cell — a phone
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. chip — for betting
  24. coach — a trainer

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