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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. chip — for betting
  4. rule — a law
  5. rule — government
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. saw — the tool
  8. tear — from crying
  9. tear — from crying
  10. cell — a phone
  11. cell — in biology
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. lean — thin
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. tear — to rip
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. hand — in cards
  22. hand — help
  23. chip — to eat
  24. saw — the tool

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