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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: row · clip · band · charge · press · rule · snap · court

  1. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. press — newspapers
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. charge — in control
  6. court — of law
  7. court — for sport
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. press — to push
  11. charge — electricity
  12. rule — a law
  13. row — to paddle
  14. clip — a video
  15. court — of a king
  16. charge — a price
  17. clip — to cut
  18. clip — for paper
  19. row — a line
  20. snap — to click
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. band — a ring
  23. band — a music group
  24. press — a publisher

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