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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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. rule — a law
  6. kid — to tease
  7. lean — to bend
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. rule — government
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. snap — to click
  12. lean — thin
  13. shower — to wash
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. stock — shares
  16. shower — rain
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. pit — in a race
  21. stock — goods
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. plane — a tool
  24. pit — a hole

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