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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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. rule — a law
  3. rule — government
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. content — happy
  6. sharp — clever
  7. wound — an injury
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. court — of law
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. content — the amount
  15. wound — an injury
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. board — a committee
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. court — of a king
  20. board — to get on
  21. court — for sport
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. content — videos and posts

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