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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. content — happy
  3. field — for sport
  4. field — a subject
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. mug — a face
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. shower — to wash
  9. field — farmland
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. rule — government
  13. shower — rain
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. mug — a cup
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. content — the amount
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. rule — a law
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. chair — a leader

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