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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 116 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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468
Word bank
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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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  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. ruler — a monarch
  2. rest — a break
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. hand — help
  6. rest — what's left
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. content — happy
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. ball — a dance
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. rest — what's left
  18. rash — a series
  19. hand — in cards
  20. ball — a great time
  21. rash — hasty
  22. content — the amount
  23. ruler — for measuring
  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