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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. bear — the animal
  3. season — of the year
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. bear — the animal
  6. net — after costs
  7. net — for catching
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. content — the amount
  11. rule — a law
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. rule — government
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. chip — for betting
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. season — in sport
  19. date — the fruit
  20. net — in sport
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. content — happy
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. chip — to eat

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