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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 120 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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  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. snap — to snap out of it
  2. rule — a law
  3. drill — army training
  4. degree — an amount
  5. drill — the tool
  6. game — a match
  7. game — wild animals
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. rock — music
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. drill — a practice
  12. degree — temperature
  13. snap — to click
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. rock — a stone
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. rule — government
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. degree — from a university
  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