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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. content — happy
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. stand — to bear
  5. fine — all right
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. ground — the earth
  9. sharp — clever
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. rule — a law
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. squash — to crush
  14. rule — government
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. ground — crushed
  18. mate — a friend
  19. content — the amount
  20. mate — to breed
  21. ground — a position
  22. squash — the sport
  23. mate — a partner
  24. sharp — with an edge

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