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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. rule — a law
  3. rule — government
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. content — the amount
  6. bear — the animal
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. degree — from a university
  10. degree — temperature
  11. staff — employees
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. season — in sport
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. season — of the year
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. sharp — clever
  19. degree — an amount
  20. wound — an injury
  21. staff — employees
  22. staff — a stick
  23. bear — the animal
  24. wound — an injury

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