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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: spell · rule · snap · sharp · cell · hand · land · scale

  1. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. land — a country
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. rule — a law
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. spell — a short time
  7. sharp — clever
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. land — to come down
  10. hand — help
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. rule — government
  13. hand — in cards
  14. scale — in music
  15. snap — to click
  16. spell — magic
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. spell — letters
  19. land — ground
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. cell — a phone
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. scale — size or range
  24. hand — part of the body

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