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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. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. content — the amount
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. mark — a grade
  5. court — for sport
  6. rule — a law
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. suit — clothes
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. suit — in cards
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. suit — to fit
  14. court — of law
  15. bulb — for light
  16. fine — all right
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. content — happy
  19. pound — a weight
  20. court — of a king
  21. bulb — for light
  22. mark — a trace
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. fine — high quality

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