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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  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. land — to come down
  2. net — for catching
  3. content — happy
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. stand — to bear
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. net — after costs
  11. rule — government
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. land — a country
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. date — the fruit
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. rule — a law
  18. content — the amount
  19. rush — hurry
  20. land — ground
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. net — in sport
  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