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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  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. rash — hasty
  2. ball — a great time
  3. clip — to cut
  4. stock — goods
  5. content — the amount
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. content — happy
  10. stock — shares
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. rash — a series
  15. rule — a law
  16. board — a committee
  17. ball — a dance
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. board — to get on
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. clip — a video
  23. clip — for paper
  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