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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 is an ace ________________.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  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. pitcher — in baseball
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. rule — government
  4. snap — to click
  5. hand — help
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. mate — a partner
  10. mate — a friend
  11. mate — to breed
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. mark — a grade
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. hand — in cards
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. mark — a trace
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. sharp — clever
  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