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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 · fall · bore · chest · stand · chip

  1. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. rule — government
  3. chest — of your body
  4. chip — for betting
  5. stand — to bear
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. chest — a box
  8. bore — to drill
  9. fall — to drop
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. rule — a law
  12. fall — the season
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. fall — to drop
  15. chest — of your body
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. bore — to tire

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