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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. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. last — finally
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. content — the amount
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. root — of a plant
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. content — happy
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. last — to go on
  16. root — of a word
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. rock — music
  19. rock — a stone
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. root — the cause
  23. last — final
  24. rock — to move gently

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