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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. scale — in music
  3. content — the amount
  4. rule — a law
  5. current — electric
  6. prune — to trim
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. rule — government
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. scale — size or range
  13. current — happening now
  14. mine — for digging
  15. current — of water
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. ball — a great time
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. ball — a dance
  23. content — happy
  24. prune — to trim

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