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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 120 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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. rule — government
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. saw — the tool
  5. charge — a price
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. squash — the sport
  8. bound — tied together
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. bulb — for light
  11. charge — electricity
  12. rule — a law
  13. fork — in a road
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. bulb — for light
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. bound — obliged
  18. charge — in control
  19. bound — certain
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. squash — to crush

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