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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. can — a tin
  3. land — ground
  4. can — a tin
  5. march — music
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. rule — a law
  8. bound — obliged
  9. content — the amount
  10. can — to be able to
  11. land — to come down
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. date — the fruit
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. bound — certain
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. bound — tied together
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. content — happy
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. march — the month
  22. march — the month
  23. rule — government
  24. land — a country

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