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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. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. rule — government
  4. rule — a law
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. file — a line of people
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. file — a tool
  10. fine — all right
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. fine — high quality
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. pit — in a race
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. lean — to bend
  19. lean — thin
  20. pit — a hole
  21. file — a document
  22. perch — the fish
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. perch — for a bird

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