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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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. chair — a leader
  7. bass — low music
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. spell — a short time
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. plane — a tool
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. bass — the fish
  15. deal — to handle
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. cold — not warm
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. spell — letters
  20. rule — a law
  21. spell — magic
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. rule — government
  24. plane — in geometry

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