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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. rule — a law
  3. rule — government
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. bound — certain
  6. mate — a friend
  7. mate — to breed
  8. fall — to drop
  9. bulb — for light
  10. bound — obliged
  11. bulb — for light
  12. snap — to click
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. mate — a partner
  20. bound — tied together
  21. band — a ring
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. fall — to drop
  24. band — a music group

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