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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. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. firm — a company
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. cold — not warm
  5. cold — an illness
  6. rule — government
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. saw — the tool
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. saw — the tool
  13. rule — a law
  14. firm — steady
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. capital — a city
  22. firm — decided
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. capital — money

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