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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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. rash — a series
  4. plane — a tool
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. rule — government
  7. stock — shares
  8. key — the most important part
  9. rash — hasty
  10. key — in music
  11. stock — goods
  12. tear — to rip
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. snap — to click
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. key — for a lock
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. tear — from crying
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. chair — a leader
  22. tear — from crying
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. plane — an aircraft

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