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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. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. rule — a law
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. kid — to tease
  6. kid — child
  7. stand — to bear
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. chip — to eat
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. club — for golf
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. hand — help
  15. chip — for betting
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. rule — government
  19. hand — in cards
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. club — a group
  24. club — for dancing

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