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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. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. content — happy
  3. fall — the season
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. rule — a law
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. clip — a video
  9. rule — government
  10. wound — an injury
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. chip — to eat
  13. fall — to drop
  14. clip — to cut
  15. content — the amount
  16. clip — for paper
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. wound — an injury
  20. fall — to drop
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. wax — to grow
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. chip — in a computer

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