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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 124 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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. present — there
  3. swing — to play on
  4. present — a gift
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. saw — the tool
  7. deal — to handle
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. saw — the tool
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. wound — an injury
  14. rule — a law
  15. squash — the sport
  16. plane — a tool
  17. wound — an injury
  18. squash — to crush
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. swing — music
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. swing — in golf
  23. rule — government
  24. present — the time now

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