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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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. net — for catching
  3. rule — government
  4. fall — to drop
  5. rest — a break
  6. cap — of ice
  7. net — after costs
  8. rest — what's left
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. mug — a face
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. fall — the season
  14. cap — a lid
  15. row — to paddle
  16. mug — to rob
  17. rule — a law
  18. fall — to drop
  19. cap — a hat
  20. mug — a cup
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. rest — what's left
  23. net — in sport
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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