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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. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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. rule — government
  3. wind — moving air
  4. scale — in music
  5. can — a tin
  6. mug — a face
  7. rule — a law
  8. can — a tin
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. land — ground
  11. land — to come down
  12. mug — a cup
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. ground — a position
  15. wind — moving air
  16. land — a country
  17. scale — size or range
  18. snap — to click
  19. can — to be able to
  20. mug — to rob
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. ground — crushed
  23. ground — the earth
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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