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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. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. saw — the tool
  3. pass — a permit
  4. squash — to crush
  5. march — the month
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. march — music
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. march — the month
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. saw — the tool
  13. rule — a law
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. dip — to sink
  21. squash — the sport
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. lash — an eyelash

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