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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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. rule — government
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. cold — not warm
  5. mug — a face
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. bark — to shout
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. mug — a cup
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. plane — a tool
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. lean — to bend
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. rule — a law
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. lean — thin
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. mug — to rob
  24. pitcher — a jug

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