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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: nail · wind · mate · object · snap · mine · rule · pit

  1. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  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. rule — a law
  2. object — a thing
  3. wind — moving air
  4. pit — in a race
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. mate — a partner
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. object — an aim
  10. mate — to breed
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. mate — a friend
  17. mine — for digging
  18. pit — a hole
  19. snap — to click
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. object — to protest
  23. wind — moving air
  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