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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  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. content — videos and posts
  2. rule — government
  3. bound — certain
  4. face — to confront
  5. face — part of the head
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. content — the amount
  8. cell — in biology
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. cell — a phone
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. bound — tied together
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. face — to point toward
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. kick — in football
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. rule — a law
  21. wax — to grow
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. bound — obliged
  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