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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: chip · race · hide · toast · prune · bay · rule · kid

  1. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. chip — for betting
  4. rule — government
  5. race — the arms race
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. toast — bread
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. chip — to eat
  13. kid — to tease
  14. kid — child
  15. rule — a law
  16. race — a contest
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. race — humankind
  20. prune — to trim
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. prune — to trim

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