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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: clip · rule · deal · snap · pop · capital · bore · dip

  1. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. pop — soda
  3. rule — government
  4. clip — for paper
  5. pop — music
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. clip — to cut
  10. dip — to sink
  11. pop — to visit
  12. clip — a video
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. deal — to handle
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. snap — to click
  17. capital — money
  18. bore — to tire
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. bore — to drill
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. capital — a city

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