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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. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. band — a ring
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. rule — government
  6. fork — in a road
  7. content — the amount
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. court — for sport
  10. band — a music group
  11. shower — to wash
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. rule — a law
  15. sharp — clever
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. shower — rain
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. court — of law
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. court — of a king
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. content — happy

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