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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 refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. saw — the tool
  3. root — of a plant
  4. root — of a word
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. content — the amount
  7. wind — moving air
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. wind — moving air
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. march — the month
  13. root — the cause
  14. saw — the tool
  15. date — the fruit
  16. march — the month
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. mug — a face
  19. march — music
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. mug — to rob
  24. content — happy

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