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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. staff — employees
  3. rash — a series
  4. rule — government
  5. staff — employees
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. pop — music
  8. rush — hurry
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. plane — a tool
  11. rash — hasty
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. wound — an injury
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. staff — a stick
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. rule — a law
  22. wound — an injury
  23. pop — soda
  24. lash — an eyelash

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