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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. rule — a law
  4. rule — government
  5. content — the amount
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. content — happy
  9. kid — to tease
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. spring — a coil
  13. current — happening now
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. current — electric
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. spring — of water
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. spring — the season
  22. current — of water
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. kid — child

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