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

Word bank: rule · cell · straw · chip · bulb · row

  1. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. cell — in biology
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. chip — to eat
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. bulb — for light
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. row — to paddle
  10. chip — for betting
  11. bulb — for light
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. rule — a law
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. row — a line
  16. cell — a phone
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. cell — in a prison

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