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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. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — in geometry
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. shower — to wash
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. rule — government
  6. spring — of water
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. spring — a coil
  9. rash — a series
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. spring — the season
  12. shower — rain
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. rash — hasty
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. squash — the sport
  17. sharp — clever
  18. squash — to crush
  19. plane — a tool
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. rule — a law
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. rash — on the skin

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