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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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. rule — government
  3. spell — letters
  4. face — to confront
  5. kid — child
  6. spell — magic
  7. face — to point toward
  8. face — part of the head
  9. kid — to tease
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. pass — a permit
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. file — a document
  19. rule — a law
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. file — a line of people
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. spell — a short time

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