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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. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. rule — government
  4. charge — a price
  5. bound — obliged
  6. fine — all right
  7. bound — certain
  8. fine — high quality
  9. charge — electricity
  10. object — to protest
  11. wind — moving air
  12. last — finally
  13. wind — moving air
  14. snap — to click
  15. rule — a law
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. last — to go on
  18. bound — tied together
  19. charge — in control
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. last — final
  22. object — an aim
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. object — a thing

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