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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. club — for dancing
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. rule — government
  6. rule — a law
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. lie — to recline
  9. land — ground
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. land — a country
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. land — to come down
  14. lean — to bend
  15. lean — thin
  16. club — a group
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. pound — a weight
  22. wake — a trail
  23. club — for golf
  24. lie — an untruth

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