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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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. drill — the tool
  6. mark — a grade
  7. content — the amount
  8. rule — a law
  9. ground — a position
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. drill — a practice
  12. swing — in golf
  13. ground — crushed
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. swing — music
  16. drill — army training
  17. rule — government
  18. current — happening now
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. ground — the earth
  21. content — happy
  22. mark — a trace
  23. current — of water
  24. current — electric

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