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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. present — the time now
  5. plane — a tool
  6. present — a gift
  7. present — there
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. last — to go on
  11. chest — of your body
  12. chest — of your body
  13. file — a line of people
  14. rule — a law
  15. last — final
  16. rule — government
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. file — a document
  19. chest — a box
  20. file — a tool
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. last — finally

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