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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. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. rule — government
  3. ground — a position
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. content — happy
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. ground — the earth
  11. rule — a law
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. game — wild animals
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. land — to come down
  16. land — a country
  17. land — ground
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. ground — crushed
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. game — a match
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. content — the amount

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