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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 116 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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. rest — what's left
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. content — happy
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. track — a song
  10. rest — a break
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. rule — a law
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. pass — a permit
  15. snap — to click
  16. rest — what's left
  17. track — to keep track
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. track — a path
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. rule — government
  24. plane — a tool

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