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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 124 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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bay · root · content · can · wind · rule · mouse · date

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. rule — a law
  3. can — a tin
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. content — the amount
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. rule — government
  10. wind — moving air
  11. can — to be able to
  12. content — happy
  13. can — a tin
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. root — the cause
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. root — of a plant
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. root — of a word
  24. date — 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