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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 116 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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. rule — government
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. face — to confront
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. spring — of water
  8. face — part of the head
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. rule — a law
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. spring — the season
  14. present — there
  15. kick — in football
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. content — the amount
  18. spring — a coil
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. shower — to wash
  21. face — to point toward
  22. present — the time now
  23. present — a gift
  24. shower — rain

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