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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. wind — moving air
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. can — to be able to
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. content — happy
  7. content — the amount
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. rule — a law
  11. drill — a practice
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. degree — an amount
  14. wind — moving air
  15. rule — government
  16. prune — to trim
  17. can — a tin
  18. drill — army training
  19. can — a tin
  20. degree — temperature
  21. drill — the tool
  22. prune — to trim
  23. degree — from a university
  24. bowl — a dish

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