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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. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. hand — help
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. snap — to click
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. hand — in cards
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. mine — for digging
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. rule — a law
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. sharp — clever

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