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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: hand · snap · tear · rule · deal · last · stick · leaves

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. last — finally
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. hand — in cards
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. snap — to click
  11. tear — to rip
  12. hand — help
  13. last — final
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. deal — to handle
  19. rule — a law
  20. last — to go on
  21. tear — from crying
  22. tear — from crying
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. rule — government

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