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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. drill — a practice
  4. content — the amount
  5. track — a song
  6. cold — an illness
  7. cold — not warm
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. content — happy
  11. hand — in cards
  12. track — to keep track
  13. track — a path
  14. drill — the tool
  15. hand — help
  16. pop — music
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. pop — soda
  21. drill — army training
  22. pop — to visit
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. cold — the Cold War

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