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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. squash — to crush
  3. rule — a law
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. rule — government
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. file — a tool
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. file — a document
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. land — to come down
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. deal — to handle
  16. foot — a measure
  17. squash — the sport
  18. land — a country
  19. file — a line of people
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. land — ground

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