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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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. object — a thing
  3. file — a tool
  4. rest — a break
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. file — a document
  7. bound — obliged
  8. object — to protest
  9. object — an aim
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. rest — what's left
  12. rest — what's left
  13. file — a line of people
  14. content — the amount
  15. rule — government
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. content — happy
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. bound — certain
  20. rule — a law
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. bound — tied together
  24. jam — in traffic

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