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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. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. content — happy
  3. content — the amount
  4. rule — government
  5. race — humankind
  6. mug — a cup
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. rule — a law
  10. race — the arms race
  11. scale — in music
  12. mug — to rob
  13. net — for catching
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. mark — a trace
  16. scale — size or range
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. race — a contest
  19. net — after costs
  20. net — in sport
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. sharp — clever
  23. mug — a face
  24. mark — a grade

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