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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 · rule · bay · deal · snap · file · pop · sharp

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  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. pop — soda
  2. fall — to drop
  3. file — a document
  4. pop — music
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. deal — to handle
  7. snap — to click
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. rule — government
  10. file — a tool
  11. pop — to visit
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. file — a line of people
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. fall — to drop
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. sharp — clever
  20. fall — the season
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. rule — to rule out
  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