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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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. fall — to drop
  3. track — to keep track
  4. track — a path
  5. snap — to click
  6. mate — a partner
  7. kid — child
  8. track — a song
  9. fall — to drop
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. mate — a friend
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. mate — to breed
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. rule — government
  17. kid — to tease
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. fall — the season
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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