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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. suit — in cards
  3. wake — a trail
  4. pit — a hole
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. squash — the sport
  7. march — music
  8. band — a ring
  9. snap — to click
  10. suit — clothes
  11. suit — to fit
  12. rule — government
  13. pit — in a race
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. squash — to crush
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. band — a music group
  20. march — the month
  21. march — the month
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. rule — a law

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