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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  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. saw — the tool
  2. rule — government
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. squash — to crush
  5. shower — to wash
  6. last — finally
  7. tube — the underground
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. kid — child
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. rule — a law
  13. shower — rain
  14. kid — to tease
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. saw — the tool
  18. tube — a container
  19. last — to go on
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. squash — the sport
  22. last — final
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  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