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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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Word bank
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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: chair · rule · mate · content · land · pop · safe · leaves

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. mate — a friend
  6. pop — music
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. land — ground
  11. chair — a leader
  12. content — happy
  13. rule — government
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. pop — soda
  16. mate — to breed
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. rule — a law
  20. mate — a partner
  21. land — to come down
  22. land — a country
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. content — the amount

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