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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 potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. rule — a law
  3. spell — letters
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. tear — from crying
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. tear — from crying
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. spell — a short time
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. spell — magic
  14. pound — a weight
  15. row — a line
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. chip — for betting
  18. tear — to rip
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. row — to paddle
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. rule — government

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