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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. spell — a short time
  3. rule — government
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. deal — to handle
  8. rule — a law
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. last — finally
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. last — to go on
  16. spell — letters
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. snap — to click
  20. content — happy
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. spell — magic
  23. content — the amount
  24. content — videos and posts

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