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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 120 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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Word bank
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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: press · rule · club · fine · snap · rash · bound · clip

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  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. bound — obliged
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. rule — government
  4. press — a publisher
  5. bound — tied together
  6. clip — a video
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. fine — all right
  9. club — for golf
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. press — to push
  12. clip — to cut
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. rash — a series
  15. snap — to click
  16. press — newspapers
  17. clip — for paper
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. rash — hasty
  20. club — for dancing
  21. fine — high quality
  22. club — a group
  23. bound — certain
  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