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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 116 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. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. court — of a king
  6. ball — a great time
  7. rule — government
  8. ball — a dance
  9. file — a line of people
  10. dip — to sink
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. court — of law
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. file — a tool
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. rule — a law
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. court — for sport
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. file — a document

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