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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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. pop — to visit
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. rest — what's left
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. rest — what's left
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. net — after costs
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. pop — soda
  16. mine — for digging
  17. plane — a tool
  18. rule — government
  19. rest — a break
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. net — for catching
  23. pop — music
  24. net — in sport

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