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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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. row — to paddle
  3. squash — to crush
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. squash — the sport
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. snap — to click
  8. press — to push
  9. rule — a law
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. file — a document
  12. press — a publisher
  13. file — a tool
  14. rule — government
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. press — newspapers
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. spell — letters
  20. row — a line
  21. spell — magic
  22. spell — a short time
  23. wax — to grow
  24. wax — for sculpting

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