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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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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: nail · hide · track · land · shower · content · rule · coach

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. rule — a law
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. land — ground
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. shower — rain
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. shower — to wash
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. content — happy
  14. track — to keep track
  15. land — to come down
  16. track — a song
  17. rule — government
  18. land — a country
  19. track — a path
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. nail — on a finger

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