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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 chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. cap — a hat
  5. last — final
  6. plane — a tool
  7. root — of a plant
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. mark — a trace
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. last — finally
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. mark — a grade
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. last — to go on
  16. wind — moving air
  17. root — of a word
  18. rule — government
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. wind — moving air
  21. cap — a lid
  22. rule — a law
  23. cap — of ice
  24. root — the cause

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