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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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. band — a music group
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. snap — to click
  7. prune — to trim
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. file — a tool
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. pass — a permit
  17. rule — government
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. kick — in football
  20. file — a document
  21. file — a line of people
  22. band — a ring
  23. rule — a law
  24. prune — to trim

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