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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: rule · pitcher · lash · mate · straw · wake · face · plane

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. rule — government
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. mate — a partner
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. face — to confront
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. wake — a trail
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. face — part of the head
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. face — to point toward
  22. mate — to breed
  23. rule — a law
  24. plane — a tool

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