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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. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. land — a country
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. land — to come down
  5. land — ground
  6. rule — a law
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. content — the amount
  10. ground — crushed
  11. swing — music
  12. content — happy
  13. swing — in golf
  14. wound — an injury
  15. suit — clothes
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. chair — a leader
  19. rule — government
  20. suit — in cards
  21. ground — a position
  22. swing — to play on
  23. wound — an injury
  24. ground — the earth

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