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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. rule — government
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. plane — a tool
  5. spell — a short time
  6. net — for catching
  7. bat — the animal
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. spell — magic
  10. net — in sport
  11. pop — music
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. rule — a law
  17. rock — a stone
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. pop — to visit
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. chair — a leader
  22. net — after costs
  23. spell — letters
  24. rock — music

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