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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. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. firm — a company
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. game — wild animals
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. bass — low music
  11. prune — to trim
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. game — a match
  14. firm — decided
  15. rule — a law
  16. bass — the fish
  17. bore — to drill
  18. bore — to tire
  19. firm — steady
  20. prune — to trim
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. fork — in a road

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