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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. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. spring — of water
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. ball — a great time
  5. mug — a face
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. mug — a cup
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. bore — to tire
  11. mug — to rob
  12. stock — goods
  13. rule — a law
  14. stock — shares
  15. ball — a dance
  16. bore — to drill
  17. content — the amount
  18. content — happy
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. rule — government
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. spring — the season
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. spring — a coil

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