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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. rule — government
  4. kid — to tease
  5. race — a contest
  6. pop — to visit
  7. staff — employees
  8. content — the amount
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. court — of law
  12. content — happy
  13. scale — in music
  14. race — the arms race
  15. kid — child
  16. pop — music
  17. rule — a law
  18. court — for sport
  19. race — humankind
  20. staff — employees
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. court — of a king
  23. staff — a stick
  24. pop — soda

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