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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 124 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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. content — happy
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. rule — government
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. scale — in music
  8. march — music
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. content — the amount
  13. bass — the fish
  14. scale — size or range
  15. march — the month
  16. bass — low music
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. present — the time now
  19. march — the month
  20. present — there
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. rule — a law
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. present — a gift

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