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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. clip — for paper
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. can — a tin
  5. can — to be able to
  6. fine — all right
  7. mate — a friend
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. rule — government
  10. rash — a series
  11. clip — a video
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. snap — to click
  15. mate — to breed
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. rule — a law
  18. clip — to cut
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. rash — hasty
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. can — a tin
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. mate — a partner

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