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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. mate — a friend
  4. saw — the tool
  5. rule — government
  6. squash — to crush
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. mate — a partner
  13. content — the amount
  14. mate — to breed
  15. squash — the sport
  16. hand — help
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. hand — in cards
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. rule — a law
  22. content — happy
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. sharp — clever

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