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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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. rule — a law
  3. file — a line of people
  4. pop — music
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. pop — soda
  7. bound — certain
  8. pop — to visit
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. fall — the season
  11. bound — obliged
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. file — a document
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. bound — tied together
  16. fall — to drop
  17. rule — government
  18. file — a tool
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. fork — in a road
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. rule — to rule out

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