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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 124 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. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. rule — government
  3. plane — a tool
  4. rule — a law
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. hand — in cards
  8. kid — child
  9. land — to come down
  10. land — ground
  11. root — of a word
  12. charge — a price
  13. hand — help
  14. root — the cause
  15. saw — the tool
  16. kid — to tease
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. saw — the tool
  19. land — a country
  20. charge — electricity
  21. root — of a plant
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. charge — in control

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