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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: fall · mouse · cell · rule · stick · snap

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. fall — to drop
  6. fall — the season
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. fall — to drop
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. cell — in biology
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. rule — a law
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. rule — government
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. cell — a phone

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