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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. cue — a signal
  5. land — to come down
  6. present — the time now
  7. mug — a cup
  8. mug — to rob
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. land — ground
  12. mug — a face
  13. land — a country
  14. rule — a law
  15. cue — a hint
  16. ground — the earth
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. rule — government
  19. content — the amount
  20. ground — a position
  21. cue — for pool
  22. ground — crushed
  23. present — there
  24. present — a gift

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