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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 120 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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. land — ground
  4. rule — a law
  5. face — to point toward
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. face — part of the head
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. rule — government
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. cue — for pool
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. face — to confront
  16. land — to come down
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. cue — a hint
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. land — a country
  21. wake — a trail
  22. content — the amount
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. cue — a signal

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