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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. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. drill — a practice
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. game — wild animals
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. squash — the sport
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. hand — help
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. drill — the tool
  16. rash — hasty
  17. hand — in cards
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. squash — to crush
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. rash — a series
  22. plane — a tool
  23. game — a match
  24. drill — army training

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