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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  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. wind — moving air
  2. mark — a grade
  3. rule — a law
  4. net — for catching
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. content — happy
  7. mark — a trace
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. rule — government
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. face — to confront
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. face — part of the head
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. face — to point toward
  17. snap — to click
  18. net — after costs
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. wind — moving air
  21. net — in sport
  22. branch — a division
  23. mark — to pay attention
  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