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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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. content — happy
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. rash — a series
  5. rash — hasty
  6. root — of a word
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. cue — for pool
  10. rule — a law
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. root — of a plant
  13. content — the amount
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. root — the cause
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. cue — a signal
  21. rule — government
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. mine — for digging

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