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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. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. mug — a face
  4. rash — hasty
  5. lean — to bend
  6. rule — government
  7. net — in sport
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. mug — to rob
  10. net — for catching
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. mug — a cup
  13. net — after costs
  14. rule — a law
  15. snap — to click
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. lean — thin
  18. rash — a series

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