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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. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. club — for golf
  5. rule — a law
  6. sharp — clever
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. pitch — completely
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. fork — in a road
  12. club — a group
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. chair — a leader
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. club — for dancing
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. snap — to click

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