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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. land — ground
  3. march — the month
  4. tear — to rip
  5. land — a country
  6. content — the amount
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. land — to come down
  11. tear — from crying
  12. cap — of ice
  13. march — music
  14. cap — a lid
  15. march — the month
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. cap — a hat
  19. pit — in a race
  20. content — happy
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. tear — from crying
  24. pit — a hole

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