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

  1. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. fine — all right
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. snap — to click
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. mine — for digging
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. rash — hasty
  16. fine — high quality
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. plane — a tool
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. stem — to come from
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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