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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. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. court — for sport
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. stem — to come from
  6. rule — government
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. rule — a law
  9. game — wild animals
  10. court — of law
  11. swing — music
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. saw — the tool
  14. spell — magic
  15. court — of a king
  16. saw — the tool
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. swing — in golf
  19. spell — a short time
  20. game — a match
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. swing — to play on
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. spell — letters

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