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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 116 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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. squash — the sport
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. rule — a law
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. rule — government
  7. land — a country
  8. track — to keep track
  9. land — to come down
  10. sharp — clever
  11. suit — to fit
  12. suit — clothes
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. track — a path
  15. suit — in cards
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. bat — the animal
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. squash — to crush
  20. track — a song
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. bat — in an idiom

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