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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. rule — government
  3. content — happy
  4. track — a path
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. content — the amount
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. race — the arms race
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. race — a contest
  11. track — a song
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. track — to keep track
  14. race — humankind
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. craft — a skill
  17. rule — a law
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. craft — boats
  23. pound — a weight
  24. rule — to rule out

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