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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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. spell — a short time
  5. spell — letters
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. bass — low music
  10. land — a country
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. rule — government
  14. land — ground
  15. spell — magic
  16. rule — a law
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. land — to come down
  20. lean — to bend
  21. squash — the sport
  22. lean — thin
  23. squash — to crush
  24. plane — a tool

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