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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. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. snap — to click
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. land — a country
  7. rush — hurry
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. sharp — clever
  11. degree — an amount
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. land — to come down
  14. land — ground
  15. rule — government
  16. degree — from a university
  17. fork — in a road
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. degree — temperature
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. rule — a law
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. sharp — exactly

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