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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. net — in sport
  3. snap — to click
  4. file — a tool
  5. charge — in control
  6. net — after costs
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. charge — a price
  9. mate — a partner
  10. swing — music
  11. rule — a law
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. mate — to breed
  14. net — for catching
  15. mate — a friend
  16. rule — government
  17. charge — electricity
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. wax — to grow
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. file — a line of people
  22. swing — in golf
  23. file — a document
  24. swing — to play on

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