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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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. can — a tin
  3. bear — the animal
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. rash — a series
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. content — the amount
  10. can — a tin
  11. content — happy
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. can — to be able to
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. bear — the animal
  19. rash — hasty
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. mine — for digging
  22. rule — government
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. hide — animal skin

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