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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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. rule — government
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. sharp — clever
  5. rest — what's left
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. file — a line of people
  9. rest — what's left
  10. file — a tool
  11. snap — to click
  12. rule — a law
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. roll — a cake
  15. wax — to grow
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. file — a document
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. squash — to crush
  21. roll — a list
  22. rest — a break
  23. squash — the sport
  24. wax — in the ear

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