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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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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: sharp · staff · rule · snap · clip · degree · calf · racket

  1. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. staff — employees
  5. rule — government
  6. snap — to click
  7. sharp — clever
  8. clip — a video
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. staff — a stick
  13. degree — an amount
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. degree — from a university
  16. degree — temperature
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. clip — for paper
  20. clip — to cut
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. staff — employees
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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