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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: chip · rule · coach · stick · toast · fork

  1. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. rule — a law
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. toast — bread
  10. rule — government
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. chip — for betting
  15. chip — to eat
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. fork — in a road

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