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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 goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  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. straw — dry grass
  2. chip — to eat
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. rule — government
  8. kick — in football
  9. rule — a law
  10. chip — for betting
  11. present — the time now
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. present — a gift
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. present — there
  19. date — the fruit
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. rule — to rule out
  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