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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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. mug — to rob
  4. game — wild animals
  5. chip — to eat
  6. rule — government
  7. drill — army training
  8. game — a match
  9. cell — in biology
  10. drill — a practice
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. mug — a cup
  13. cell — a phone
  14. chip — for betting
  15. stock — shares
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. stock — goods
  19. drill — the tool
  20. season — in sport
  21. season — of the year
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. mug — a face

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