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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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  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. wax — for sculpting
  2. rule — government
  3. wind — moving air
  4. chip — to eat
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. chip — for betting
  8. clip — a video
  9. wind — moving air
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. clip — to cut
  13. cell — a phone
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. rule — a law
  17. wax — to grow
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. cell — in biology
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. clip — for paper
  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