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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. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. sharp — clever
  4. squash — the sport
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. squash — to crush
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. mug — a cup
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. spring — the season
  11. mug — a face
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. rule — government
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. wake — a trail
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. spring — of water
  19. mug — to rob
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. plane — a tool
  23. spring — a coil
  24. squash — the vegetable

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