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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. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. saw — the tool
  3. rash — a series
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. court — of law
  7. court — of a king
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. rule — a law
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. fork — in a road
  16. saw — the tool
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. stem — to come from
  21. rash — hasty
  22. court — for sport
  23. snap — to click
  24. rush — hurry

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