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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. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. staff — employees
  3. rule — a law
  4. staff — employees
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. ground — crushed
  7. content — the amount
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. fine — high quality
  12. content — happy
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. perch — the fish
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. fine — all right
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. ground — a position
  19. ground — the earth
  20. foot — a measure
  21. staff — a stick
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. foot — part of the body

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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