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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. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. field — for sport
  5. field — farmland
  6. game — wild animals
  7. tube — the underground
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. bound — certain
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. rule — government
  12. field — a subject
  13. bound — obliged
  14. rush — hurry
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. tube — a container
  19. game — a match
  20. bound — tied together
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. rule — a law

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