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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. That must've been a ________________.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  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. rush — a thrill
  2. last — to go on
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. content — happy
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. fall — to drop
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. fall — the season
  11. fall — to drop
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. scale — in music
  14. last — finally
  15. rush — hurry
  16. last — final
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. scale — size or range
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. ruler — a monarch
  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