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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 116 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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. field — for sport
  3. wind — moving air
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. rule — government
  6. wind — moving air
  7. wound — an injury
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. rule — a law
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. wound — an injury
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. field — farmland
  16. mate — a friend
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. mate — to breed
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. mate — a partner
  21. deal — to handle
  22. field — a subject
  23. snap — to click
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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