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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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. rule — a law
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. land — to come down
  6. fork — in a road
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. vault — a safe
  13. chip — for betting
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. land — a country
  17. chip — to eat
  18. rule — government
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. land — ground
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. pitcher — a jug

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