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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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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. tear — to rip
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. land — to come down
  5. ball — a dance
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. content — happy
  9. land — a country
  10. board — to get on
  11. tear — from crying
  12. mark — a grade
  13. content — the amount
  14. land — ground
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. rule — government
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. rule — a law
  19. board — a committee
  20. tear — from crying
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. ball — a great time
  24. mark — a trace

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