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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. rule — government
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. spell — letters
  5. bound — certain
  6. wake — a trail
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. rule — a law
  9. hand — help
  10. bound — obliged
  11. hand — in cards
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. bound — tied together
  14. snap — to click
  15. board — to get on
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. spell — a short time
  18. wind — moving air
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. board — a committee
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. spell — magic

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