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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. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. content — happy
  3. rest — a break
  4. spring — the season
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. rest — what's left
  7. spring — a coil
  8. tube — the underground
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. content — the amount
  11. spring — of water
  12. pound — a weight
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. rule — government
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. can — a tin
  18. tube — a container
  19. can — a tin
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. rest — what's left
  23. rule — a law
  24. can — to be able to

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