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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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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 · racket · plane · jam · staff · lash · mine · row

  1. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. row — a line
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. staff — employees
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. row — to paddle
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. rule — a law
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. mine — for digging
  21. plane — a tool
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. staff — employees
  24. staff — a stick

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