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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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. rush — hurry
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. rule — government
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. spell — letters
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. spell — magic
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. rash — hasty
  16. rule — a law
  17. mine — for digging
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. craft — a skill
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. craft — boats
  22. wind — moving air
  23. wind — moving air
  24. spell — a short time

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