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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. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. content — happy
  3. rule — government
  4. court — for sport
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. rock — music
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. season — of the year
  10. season — in sport
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. rule — a law
  13. court — of a king
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. scale — in music
  16. sharp — clever
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. content — the amount
  19. court — of law
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. scale — size or range
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. rock — a stone

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