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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 ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. pit — in a race
  4. season — of the year
  5. season — in sport
  6. pit — a hole
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. mate — to breed
  9. mate — a partner
  10. press — newspapers
  11. mate — a friend
  12. press — a publisher
  13. rest — a break
  14. rule — government
  15. content — happy
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. rest — what's left
  18. press — to push
  19. content — the amount
  20. rule — a law
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. deal — to handle
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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