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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. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. roll — a list
  5. rule — a law
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. face — to point toward
  8. roll — a cake
  9. file — a document
  10. saw — the tool
  11. face — to confront
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. plane — a tool
  14. saw — the tool
  15. face — part of the head
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. file — a tool
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. file — a line of people
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. rule — to rule out

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