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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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. game — a match
  3. plane — a tool
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. fine — high quality
  8. prune — to trim
  9. snap — to click
  10. prune — to trim
  11. fine — all right
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. scale — in music
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. rule — government
  18. rash — a series
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. scale — size or range
  22. rash — hasty
  23. game — wild animals
  24. plane — in geometry

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