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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: date · rule · bat · ruler · deal · wind · chip · season

  1. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. bat — the animal
  3. chip — to eat
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. chip — for betting
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. season — in sport
  9. rule — a law
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. date — the fruit
  12. season — of the year
  13. deal — to handle
  14. wind — moving air
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. wind — moving air
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. ruler — for measuring

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