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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. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. club — a group
  3. club — for dancing
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. content — happy
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. content — the amount
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. rule — a law
  10. spell — a short time
  11. spell — letters
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. rule — government
  15. pit — in a race
  16. bat — the animal
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. fine — all right
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. club — for golf
  21. spell — magic
  22. pit — a hole
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. fine — high quality

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