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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: race · cell · temple · snap · rule · pass · stick · content

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. pass — a permit
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. race — a contest
  7. rule — a law
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. rule — government
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. content — the amount
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. content — happy
  18. race — the arms race
  19. cell — in biology
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. race — humankind
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. cell — a phone

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