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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: can · roll · squash · face · club · content · rule · chair

  1. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. rule — government
  3. face — to confront
  4. chair — a leader
  5. content — the amount
  6. club — a group
  7. squash — to crush
  8. squash — the sport
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. club — for golf
  12. club — for dancing
  13. rule — a law
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. can — a tin
  19. can — a tin
  20. can — to be able to
  21. roll — a cake
  22. roll — a list
  23. face — part of the head
  24. content — happy

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