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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. bat — the animal
  4. rush — hurry
  5. bound — tied together
  6. rule — government
  7. wind — moving air
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. cue — a signal
  13. bound — certain
  14. bound — obliged
  15. content — the amount
  16. wind — moving air
  17. mug — a cup
  18. cue — for pool
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. mug — to rob
  21. cue — a hint
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. mug — a face
  24. rule — a law

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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