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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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. roll — a list
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. roll — a cake
  7. rule — a law
  8. shower — to wash
  9. club — for golf
  10. club — for dancing
  11. shower — rain
  12. prune — to trim
  13. chip — to eat
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. content — happy
  16. rule — government
  17. content — the amount
  18. chip — for betting
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. prune — to trim
  21. club — a group
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. tube — the underground
  24. tube — a container

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