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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. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. present — the time now
  4. cell — a phone
  5. pop — music
  6. hand — in cards
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. present — a gift
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. club — for golf
  11. pop — to visit
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. present — there
  14. content — happy
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. cell — in biology
  17. content — the amount
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. club — a group
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. pop — soda
  23. club — for dancing
  24. hand — help

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