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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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. saw — the tool
  3. rule — government
  4. can — a tin
  5. squash — to crush
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. rule — a law
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. sharp — clever
  15. squash — the sport
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. can — to be able to
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. wake — a trail
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. saw — the tool
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. lie — to recline

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