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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. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — in geometry
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. snap — to click
  5. cell — in biology
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. club — for dancing
  8. plane — a tool
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. cell — a phone
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. rule — a law
  13. cold — an illness
  14. club — a group
  15. squash — to crush
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. rule — government
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. cold — not warm
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. squash — the sport
  23. club — for golf
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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