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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. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. rest — a break
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. scale — size or range
  5. rest — what's left
  6. wind — moving air
  7. wind — moving air
  8. content — the amount
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. swing — music
  11. rest — what's left
  12. rule — a law
  13. dip — to sink
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. swing — to play on
  19. content — happy
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. swing — in golf
  22. scale — in music
  23. rule — government
  24. scale — for weighing

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