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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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. land — a country
  5. file — a tool
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. rule — government
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. file — a line of people
  10. land — to come down
  11. land — ground
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. content — the amount
  14. rule — a law
  15. content — happy
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. season — in sport
  18. season — of the year
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. file — a document
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. rule — to rule out

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