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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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. rule — government
  4. bass — the fish
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. net — in sport
  10. content — the amount
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. net — for catching
  15. pound — a weight
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. capital — a city
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. net — after costs
  20. bass — low music
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. capital — money
  24. content — happy

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