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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. spell — letters
  3. mug — to rob
  4. rule — government
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. mug — a face
  7. spell — a short time
  8. rule — a law
  9. snap — to click
  10. field — a subject
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. field — for sport
  13. field — farmland
  14. stock — shares
  15. mug — a cup
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. spell — magic
  18. stock — goods

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