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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
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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: mine · jam · spell · mate · content · firm · rule · band

  1. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. mate — a partner
  3. firm — decided
  4. rule — government
  5. content — the amount
  6. mate — a friend
  7. firm — steady
  8. rule — a law
  9. content — happy
  10. mine — for digging
  11. spell — magic
  12. band — a music group
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. band — a ring
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. firm — a company
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. spell — letters
  21. spell — a short time
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. mate — to breed

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