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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 116 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: bear · clip · rule · snap · charge · mark · last · spell

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. clip — for paper
  4. bear — the animal
  5. snap — to click
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. bear — the animal
  9. mark — a trace
  10. spell — a short time
  11. spell — magic
  12. mark — a grade
  13. rule — government
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. spell — letters
  16. last — to go on
  17. charge — in control
  18. charge — a price
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. clip — to cut
  21. charge — electricity
  22. clip — a video
  23. rule — a law
  24. last — final

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