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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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. chair — a leader
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. club — for dancing
  5. game — a match
  6. game — wild animals
  7. club — a group
  8. bulb — for light
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. band — a ring
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. bulb — for light
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. club — for golf
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. rule — government
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. band — a music group
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. plane — a tool

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