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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. plane — a tool
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. rule — government
  5. rush — hurry
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. band — a ring
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. rule — a law
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. game — wild animals
  17. pitch — completely
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. band — a music group
  24. racket — a loud noise

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