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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. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. bank — of a river
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. game — wild animals
  7. content — happy
  8. sharp — clever
  9. stock — shares
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. bank — for money
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. rule — a law
  16. content — the amount
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. stem — to come from
  19. stock — goods
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. bank — for money
  22. game — a match
  23. kick — in football
  24. rule — to rule out

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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