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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 players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. wake — a trail
  3. land — to come down
  4. snap — to click
  5. pop — soda
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. land — ground
  8. net — in sport
  9. staff — a stick
  10. rule — government
  11. pop — to visit
  12. land — a country
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. net — after costs
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. pop — music
  17. pitch — completely
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. rule — a law
  20. staff — employees
  21. staff — employees
  22. net — for catching
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. rule — to rule out

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