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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 soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. snap — to click
  7. pit — a hole
  8. net — after costs
  9. drill — a practice
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. season — in sport
  12. pit — in a race
  13. rule — a law
  14. season — of the year
  15. bass — the fish
  16. net — for catching
  17. net — in sport
  18. rule — government
  19. bass — low music
  20. drill — the tool
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. wake — a trail

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