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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 116 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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. last — finally
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. rule — a law
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. press — a publisher
  9. last — to go on
  10. ground — crushed
  11. spring — a coil
  12. content — happy
  13. ground — the earth
  14. ground — a position
  15. last — final
  16. press — newspapers
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. spring — the season
  19. press — to push
  20. spring — of water
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. rush — hurry
  24. rule — government

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