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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. land — a country
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. capital — money
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. bound — certain
  7. capital — a city
  8. mate — to breed
  9. bore — to tire
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. bound — tied together
  15. content — happy
  16. mate — a friend
  17. bore — to drill
  18. land — ground
  19. rule — government
  20. bound — obliged
  21. land — to come down
  22. mate — a partner
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. rule — a law

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