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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. pop — music
  3. track — to keep track
  4. staff — employees
  5. bound — obliged
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. rush — hurry
  8. track — a path
  9. bound — tied together
  10. bound — certain
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. track — a song
  14. rule — a law
  15. pop — to visit
  16. season — of the year
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. pop — soda
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. staff — a stick
  21. rule — government
  22. staff — employees
  23. season — in sport
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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