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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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. last — final
  3. drill — army training
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. last — to go on
  6. pop — soda
  7. last — finally
  8. mate — a partner
  9. rule — government
  10. content — the amount
  11. rush — hurry
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. pop — music
  14. bear — the animal
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. rule — a law
  17. drill — the tool
  18. content — happy
  19. mate — a friend
  20. mate — to breed
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. bear — the animal
  23. drill — a practice
  24. pop — to visit

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