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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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. suit — to fit
  3. shower — rain
  4. content — the amount
  5. row — to paddle
  6. rule — government
  7. mate — a partner
  8. shower — to wash
  9. content — happy
  10. rule — a law
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. lean — thin
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. mate — to breed
  16. mate — a friend
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. mine — for digging
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. suit — in cards
  22. lean — to bend
  23. suit — clothes
  24. mine — belonging to me

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