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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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. rule — a law
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. season — of the year
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. content — the amount
  7. wound — an injury
  8. can — a tin
  9. rule — government
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. content — happy
  12. season — in sport
  13. race — humankind
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. race — a contest
  16. wound — an injury
  17. race — the arms race
  18. cell — in biology
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. cell — a phone
  24. can — to be able to

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