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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 120 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. content — the amount
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. bank — for money
  5. ground — crushed
  6. ground — the earth
  7. bank — of a river
  8. ground — a position
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. rule — a law
  14. rush — hurry
  15. bank — for money
  16. rule — government
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. content — videos and posts

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