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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. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. rule — a law
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. last — finally
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. plane — a tool
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. last — to go on
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. ball — a great time
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. sharp — clever
  23. rule — government
  24. last — final

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