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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. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. rule — a law
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. content — happy
  8. race — the arms race
  9. net — in sport
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. chip — to eat
  14. race — a contest
  15. net — after costs
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. chip — for betting
  19. fork — in a road
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. rule — government
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. content — the amount
  24. net — for catching

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