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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 116 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: game · rule · firm · bowl · mark · wound · snap · fork

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. wound — an injury
  4. firm — a company
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. fork — in a road
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. mark — a grade
  9. wound — an injury
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. firm — steady
  14. mark — a trace
  15. snap — to click
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. game — wild animals
  18. firm — decided
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. rule — government
  21. rule — a law
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. game — a match

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