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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: rule · chip · mate · land · mug · bark · staff · shower

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. mug — a face
  3. land — ground
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. staff — employees
  6. mug — a cup
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. land — to come down
  9. staff — employees
  10. land — a country
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. staff — a stick
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. mate — a partner
  16. rule — government
  17. rule — a law
  18. bark — to shout
  19. shower — rain
  20. chip — to eat
  21. chip — for betting
  22. shower — to wash
  23. mate — to breed
  24. mug — to rob

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