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

  1. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. fine — high quality
  3. ground — the earth
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. content — the amount
  6. rule — government
  7. scale — in music
  8. ground — a position
  9. mug — a face
  10. wind — moving air
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. land — ground
  14. ground — crushed
  15. land — to come down
  16. fine — all right
  17. rule — a law
  18. content — happy
  19. wind — moving air
  20. mug — to rob
  21. land — a country
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. mug — a cup
  24. scale — size or range

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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