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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. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. land — to come down
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. swing — to play on
  5. swing — music
  6. bound — obliged
  7. board — to get on
  8. wake — a trail
  9. club — for golf
  10. land — ground
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. snap — to click
  13. land — a country
  14. board — a committee
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. rule — government
  17. rule — a law
  18. swing — in golf
  19. bound — certain
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. bound — tied together
  22. club — a group
  23. club — for dancing
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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