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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. rule — government
  3. plane — a tool
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. pop — to visit
  6. dip — to sink
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. pop — soda
  9. pop — music
  10. spell — letters
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. kid — child
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. spell — a short time
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. rule — a law
  18. capital — a city
  19. spell — magic
  20. cell — a phone
  21. kid — to tease
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. capital — money
  24. dip — a sauce

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