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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. rash — a series
  5. last — to go on
  6. chest — of your body
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. rash — hasty
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. chest — of your body
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. deal — to handle
  13. present — there
  14. last — final
  15. rule — government
  16. plane — a tool
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. present — the time now
  19. chest — a box
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. rule — a law
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. present — a gift
  24. plane — in geometry

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