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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  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. snap — to speak sharply
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. mug — to rob
  5. snap — to click
  6. drill — a practice
  7. date — the fruit
  8. drill — army training
  9. tear — to rip
  10. mug — a cup
  11. swing — to play on
  12. drill — the tool
  13. rule — a law
  14. mug — a face
  15. tear — from crying
  16. swing — music
  17. scale — in music
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. scale — size or range
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. tear — from crying
  23. swing — in golf
  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