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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. march — the month
  3. rule — government
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. march — music
  8. chip — to eat
  9. content — the amount
  10. chip — for betting
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. face — to confront
  13. tear — from crying
  14. cell — in biology
  15. content — happy
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. tear — to rip
  18. rule — a law
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. face — part of the head
  21. cell — a phone
  22. face — to point toward
  23. march — the month
  24. tear — from crying

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