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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. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. wax — to grow
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. plane — a tool
  5. net — for catching
  6. net — after costs
  7. season — of the year
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. band — a music group
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. last — to go on
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. net — in sport
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. band — a ring
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. last — final
  18. season — in sport
  19. field — a subject
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. last — finally
  22. field — for sport
  23. rule — a law
  24. field — farmland

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