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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 120 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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. rule — a law
  3. cap — of ice
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. fine — all right
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. content — happy
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. spring — of water
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. cap — a hat
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. rash — a series
  14. rash — hasty
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. content — the amount
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. rule — government
  19. spring — the season
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. spring — a coil
  22. cap — a lid
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. dip — to sink

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