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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. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. chip — to eat
  3. pop — soda
  4. rule — a law
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. pop — to visit
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. race — a contest
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. spring — a coil
  11. net — for catching
  12. race — humankind
  13. pop — music
  14. net — after costs
  15. spring — the season
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. chip — for betting
  18. net — in sport
  19. spring — of water
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. wax — to grow
  23. race — the arms race
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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