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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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. file — a line of people
  4. court — for sport
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. hand — in cards
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. rest — what's left
  9. rest — what's left
  10. dip — to sink
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. rule — government
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. court — of law
  15. content — happy
  16. file — a document
  17. court — of a king
  18. hand — help
  19. rule — a law
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. rest — a break
  22. pass — a permit
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. content — the amount

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