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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 ________________ took off on time.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. rest — a break
  3. fork — in a road
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. drill — the tool
  8. rest — what's left
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. rest — what's left
  11. rule — a law
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. plane — a tool
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. rule — government
  16. wind — moving air
  17. drill — army training
  18. season — of the year
  19. scale — size or range
  20. wind — moving air
  21. drill — a practice
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. scale — in music
  24. season — 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