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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  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. pop — soda
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. mate — a partner
  4. fine — all right
  5. rule — government
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. mate — to breed
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. ground — a position
  10. mate — a friend
  11. bat — the animal
  12. rule — a law
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. wind — moving air
  15. pop — music
  16. ground — crushed
  17. rock — music
  18. ground — the earth
  19. wind — moving air
  20. rock — a stone
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. pop — to visit
  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