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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. fork — in a road
  3. land — to come down
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. rule — government
  8. key — for a lock
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. rule — a law
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. content — the amount
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. key — the most important part
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. land — ground
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. rush — hurry
  19. bass — low music
  20. content — happy
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. land — a country
  23. key — in music
  24. bass — the fish

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