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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: last · kick · bass · bear · content · rule · bay · fall

  1. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. rule — government
  3. rule — a law
  4. last — final
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. fall — to drop
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. kick — in football
  12. content — happy
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. last — to go on
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. bear — the animal
  18. bass — low music
  19. content — the amount
  20. fall — to drop
  21. bass — the fish
  22. last — finally
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. fall — the season

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