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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. rule — government
  5. lie — to recline
  6. spell — letters
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. rule — a law
  10. track — to keep track
  11. spell — a short time
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. track — a song
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. track — a path
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. foot — a measure
  19. vault — a safe
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. spell — magic
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. bat — the animal

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