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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 shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. row — a line
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. rush — hurry
  5. capital — money
  6. rash — a series
  7. rash — hasty
  8. object — to protest
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. capital — a city
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. object — a thing
  19. plane — a tool
  20. object — an aim
  21. row — to paddle
  22. rule — government
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. rule — a law

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