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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. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. deal — to handle
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. swing — music
  7. stock — goods
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. swing — in golf
  14. perch — the fish
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. rule — a law
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. swing — to play on
  20. stock — shares
  21. content — happy
  22. date — the fruit
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. content — the amount

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