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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. squash — to crush
  3. squash — the sport
  4. kick — in football
  5. march — the month
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. chip — for betting
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. chip — to eat
  12. march — music
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. rule — a law
  15. rule — government
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. chair — a leader
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. rule — to rule out

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