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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: bound · snap · pitcher · clip · bore · rule · charge · spell

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. rule — government
  4. charge — a price
  5. spell — a short time
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. clip — to cut
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. spell — letters
  11. clip — a video
  12. bound — obliged
  13. clip — for paper
  14. rule — a law
  15. charge — electricity
  16. bore — to tire
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. snap — to click
  19. charge — in control
  20. bore — to drill
  21. bound — tied together
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. spell — magic
  24. bound — certain

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