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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. dip — to sink
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. rule — a law
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. bat — the animal
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. bank — for money
  10. bank — for money
  11. game — a match
  12. race — the arms race
  13. content — happy
  14. staff — employees
  15. staff — employees
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. rule — government
  18. game — wild animals
  19. staff — a stick
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. race — a contest
  23. bank — of a river
  24. race — humankind

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