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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. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. object — to protest
  3. plane — a tool
  4. pop — soda
  5. cold — not warm
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. rule — government
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. pop — to visit
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. object — an aim
  12. rule — a law
  13. lie — to recline
  14. fork — in a road
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. cold — an illness
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. hand — help
  22. pop — music
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. hand — in cards

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