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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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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. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. content — happy
  3. current — of water
  4. lie — to recline
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. land — to come down
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. file — a line of people
  9. rule — government
  10. content — the amount
  11. land — ground
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. file — a tool
  17. bark — to shout
  18. rule — a law
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. file — a document
  21. current — electric
  22. land — a country
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. current — happening now

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