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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: last · content · row · bay · root · rule · tube · cap

  1. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. rule — a law
  3. rule — government
  4. last — to go on
  5. root — of a word
  6. content — the amount
  7. content — happy
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. row — to paddle
  10. cap — a hat
  11. tube — a container
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. row — a line
  14. root — of a plant
  15. root — the cause
  16. tube — the underground
  17. cap — of ice
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. cap — a lid
  21. last — finally
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. last — final
  24. bay — a horse colour

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