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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. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. face — part of the head
  3. content — the amount
  4. bear — the animal
  5. capital — a city
  6. race — humankind
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. bear — the animal
  9. face — to confront
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. rule — a law
  12. race — a contest
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. face — to point toward
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. race — the arms race
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. dip — to sink
  23. capital — money
  24. content — happy

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