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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: pop · rash · object · content · rule · spring · mate · mug

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. content — happy
  3. spring — a coil
  4. rule — a law
  5. mate — a partner
  6. rash — hasty
  7. object — to protest
  8. object — a thing
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. mug — a face
  11. content — the amount
  12. rash — a series
  13. mate — a friend
  14. mug — to rob
  15. spring — the season
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. rule — government
  18. pop — music
  19. mate — to breed
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. mug — a cup
  22. object — an aim
  23. pop — to visit
  24. spring — of water

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