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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 120 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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. rule — a law
  4. rock — a stone
  5. content — the amount
  6. current — of water
  7. ground — crushed
  8. spell — a short time
  9. branch — a division
  10. content — happy
  11. rule — government
  12. current — happening now
  13. spell — letters
  14. scale — size or range
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. current — electric
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. spell — magic
  19. ground — a position
  20. rock — music
  21. scale — in music
  22. ground — the earth
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. branch — of a bank

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