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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: present · club · wave · wind · snap · scale · ruler · rule

  1. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. snap — to click
  3. club — for dancing
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. wind — moving air
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. present — a gift
  10. scale — in music
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. scale — size or range
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. rule — a law
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. club — a group
  19. rule — government
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. wind — moving air
  22. present — the time now
  23. club — for golf
  24. present — there

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