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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 120 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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. content — the amount
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. mug — a face
  8. mug — to rob
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. content — happy
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. mug — a cup
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. rule — a law
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. fork — in a road
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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