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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. rule — a law
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. mate — a partner
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. content — happy
  9. mate — a friend
  10. spell — letters
  11. spell — a short time
  12. degree — from a university
  13. rule — government
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. degree — an amount
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. stand — to bear
  19. content — the amount
  20. spell — magic
  21. degree — temperature
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. stand — for spectators

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