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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. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. tube — a container
  4. tube — the underground
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. mine — for digging
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. chip — to eat
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. chip — for betting
  21. bat — the animal
  22. rule — a law
  23. date — the fruit
  24. mine — an explosive

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