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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: pop · row · snap · cell · toast · wake · rule · club

  1. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. cell — in biology
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. pop — soda
  5. rule — government
  6. pop — music
  7. club — for dancing
  8. club — for golf
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. cell — a phone
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. wake — a trail
  16. rule — a law
  17. pop — to visit
  18. snap — to click
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. row — to paddle
  23. row — a line
  24. club — a group

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