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

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. ground — crushed
  3. content — the amount
  4. squash — the sport
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. squash — to crush
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. date — the fruit
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. tear — to rip
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. hand — in cards
  16. content — happy
  17. tear — from crying
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. tear — from crying
  20. hand — help
  21. ground — a position
  22. foot — a measure
  23. ground — the earth
  24. content — videos and posts

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