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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 120 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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. firm — decided
  3. firm — steady
  4. fall — to drop
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. game — wild animals
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. staff — employees
  12. rule — a law
  13. rule — government
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. game — a match
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. staff — employees
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. fall — the season
  20. staff — a stick
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. fall — to drop
  23. firm — a company
  24. ruler — for measuring

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