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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. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. rule — government
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. cell — a phone
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. court — of law
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. content — the amount
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. rule — a law
  14. court — of a king
  15. wax — to grow
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. rush — hurry
  19. cell — in biology
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. court — for sport
  24. content — happy

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