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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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. content — happy
  3. tube — the underground
  4. content — the amount
  5. ball — a great time
  6. rule — government
  7. degree — an amount
  8. rest — what's left
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. degree — from a university
  12. ball — a dance
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. rest — a break
  15. tube — a container
  16. sharp — clever
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. kick — in football
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. rest — what's left
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. degree — temperature

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