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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. rash — a series
  3. land — ground
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. saw — the tool
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. mate — to breed
  9. saw — the tool
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. mate — a partner
  12. fall — to drop
  13. fall — the season
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. mate — a friend
  17. land — a country
  18. land — to come down
  19. band — a music group
  20. plane — a tool
  21. fall — to drop
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. band — a ring

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