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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.

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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: date · leaves · mine · rule · suit · game · content · bat

  1. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. suit — to fit
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. rule — a law
  5. content — happy
  6. suit — in cards
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. game — a match
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. bat — the animal
  11. suit — clothes
  12. game — wild animals
  13. mine — for digging
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. date — the fruit
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. content — the amount
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. rule — government
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. leaves — lets stay

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