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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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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: content · rule · sharp · saw · ground · spell · mate · wake

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. spell — a short time
  3. mate — to breed
  4. rule — a law
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. rule — government
  7. ground — a position
  8. saw — the tool
  9. content — the amount
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. content — happy
  13. saw — the tool
  14. spell — magic
  15. sharp — clever
  16. mate — a partner
  17. wake — a trail
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. spell — letters
  20. ground — the earth
  21. mate — a friend
  22. ground — crushed
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. wake — before a funeral

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