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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 120 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. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. can — to be able to
  3. file — a tool
  4. file — a line of people
  5. craft — boats
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. last — final
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. last — to go on
  11. ball — a dance
  12. snap — to click
  13. can — a tin
  14. squash — to crush
  15. can — a tin
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. craft — a skill
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. rule — a law
  20. squash — the sport
  21. ball — a great time
  22. file — a document
  23. last — finally
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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