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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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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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. cell — in biology
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. row — to paddle
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. fork — in a road
  9. cell — a phone
  10. snap — to click
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. rock — a stone
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. rock — music
  15. mine — for digging
  16. row — a line
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. rash — a series
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. rash — hasty
  24. rule — government

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