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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 will it ________________ you to start?
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. fine — high quality
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. rule — a law
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. race — humankind
  7. club — a group
  8. suit — clothes
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. suit — in cards
  11. wound — an injury
  12. club — for dancing
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. wound — an injury
  15. club — for golf
  16. race — the arms race
  17. fine — all right
  18. shower — to wash
  19. snap — to click
  20. rule — government
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. shower — rain
  24. race — a contest

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