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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 116 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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. spell — magic
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. spell — a short time
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. rest — what's left
  8. club — a group
  9. wind — moving air
  10. fine — high quality
  11. rest — a break
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. snap — to click
  14. rest — what's left
  15. club — for dancing
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. rash — hasty
  18. rule — a law
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. wind — moving air
  21. club — for golf
  22. rash — a series
  23. rule — government
  24. spell — letters

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