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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. content — the amount
  4. can — a tin
  5. can — a tin
  6. object — to protest
  7. land — to come down
  8. object — an aim
  9. face — part of the head
  10. wake — a trail
  11. can — to be able to
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. face — to point toward
  14. rule — government
  15. rule — a law
  16. land — a country
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. prune — to trim
  19. content — happy
  20. land — ground
  21. face — to confront
  22. prune — to trim
  23. object — a thing
  24. prune — the fruit

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