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

  1. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. fall — the season
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. craft — boats
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. march — music
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. craft — a skill
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. march — the month
  13. march — the month
  14. rule — government
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. fall — to drop
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. fall — to drop

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