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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. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. degree — an amount
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. content — happy
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. rule — a law
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. rule — government
  12. content — the amount
  13. mine — for digging
  14. bear — the animal
  15. degree — from a university
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. bear — the animal
  24. degree — temperature

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