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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 ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. rule — government
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. court — for sport
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. rule — a law
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. wind — moving air
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. wind — moving air
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. rash — hasty
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. court — of a king
  17. squash — the sport
  18. snap — to click
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. rash — a series
  23. squash — to crush
  24. wind — to turn a key

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