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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 120 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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. spell — letters
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. snap — to click
  5. rule — government
  6. hand — in cards
  7. face — part of the head
  8. court — of law
  9. spell — a short time
  10. face — to confront
  11. face — to point toward
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. spell — magic
  14. lean — to bend
  15. sharp — clever
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. hand — help
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. rule — a law
  21. court — of a king
  22. lean — thin
  23. court — for sport
  24. hand — part of the body

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