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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 museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. rash — a series
  4. rule — a law
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. rash — hasty
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. ground — crushed
  10. tube — a container
  11. ground — the earth
  12. net — for catching
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. net — after costs
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. tube — the underground
  17. net — in sport
  18. wax — to grow
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. ground — a position
  24. rule — government

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