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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. rule — government
  3. content — the amount
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. press — to push
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. sharp — clever
  9. spell — a short time
  10. pop — soda
  11. spell — magic
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. ball — a dance
  14. ball — a great time
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. press — newspapers
  17. press — a publisher
  18. pop — music
  19. pop — to visit
  20. content — happy
  21. spell — letters
  22. rule — a law
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. coach — a trainer

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