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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 need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. mate — a partner
  3. bank — for money
  4. pop — soda
  5. bank — for money
  6. ground — a position
  7. mate — to breed
  8. mate — a friend
  9. ground — crushed
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. bank — of a river
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. drill — a practice
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. pop — music
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. drill — army training
  19. ground — the earth
  20. pop — to visit
  21. rule — a law
  22. content — happy
  23. content — the amount
  24. rule — government

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