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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. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. wind — moving air
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. rule — government
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. content — happy
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. wind — moving air
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. rule — a law
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. content — the amount
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. bat — the animal
  24. lash — to lash out

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