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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. cold — an illness
  3. branch — a division
  4. rule — government
  5. fine — high quality
  6. content — the amount
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. mug — a cup
  10. mug — a face
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. mug — to rob
  16. content — happy
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. cold — not warm
  19. rule — a law
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. rock — a stone
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. fine — all right

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