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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. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. rule — a law
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. wax — to grow
  6. stock — shares
  7. stock — goods
  8. club — for golf
  9. game — a match
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. club — for dancing
  13. game — wild animals
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. club — a group
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. rule — government
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. ruler — for measuring

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