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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 116 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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. rule — a law
  5. scale — size or range
  6. mine — for digging
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. content — happy
  12. present — the time now
  13. cell — a phone
  14. present — a gift
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. present — there
  18. cell — in biology
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. rule — government
  21. scale — in music
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. content — the amount
  24. scale — for weighing

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