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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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. chip — for betting
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. spell — letters
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. chip — to eat
  9. face — to confront
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. rule — government
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. track — a song
  14. spell — a short time
  15. face — to point toward
  16. row — to paddle
  17. spell — magic
  18. scale — in music
  19. face — part of the head
  20. row — a line
  21. track — a path
  22. scale — size or range
  23. rule — a law
  24. track — to keep track

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