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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. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. cell — in biology
  3. bulb — for light
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. tear — from crying
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. tear — from crying
  8. tear — to rip
  9. rule — government
  10. fork — in a road
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. content — the amount
  14. march — music
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. cell — a phone
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. march — the month
  20. bulb — for light
  21. content — happy
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. rule — a law
  24. march — the month

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