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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: sharp · drill · craft · fall · board · snap · clip · rule

  1. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. rule — government
  4. snap — to click
  5. craft — boats
  6. rule — a law
  7. drill — army training
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. sharp — clever
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. fall — the season
  12. drill — a practice
  13. drill — the tool
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. fall — to drop
  16. board — to get on
  17. clip — to cut
  18. craft — a skill
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. clip — a video
  21. fall — to drop
  22. board — a committee
  23. clip — for paper
  24. sharp — exactly

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