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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. snap — to click
  3. ground — crushed
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. row — a line
  6. rule — a law
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. rule — government
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. content — the amount
  12. ground — the earth
  13. content — happy
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. mark — a grade
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. mark — a trace
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. row — to paddle
  24. patient — a sick person

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