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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. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. prune — to trim
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. chest — of your body
  11. land — ground
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. land — to come down
  14. chest — of your body
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. land — a country
  17. content — the amount
  18. sharp — clever
  19. chest — a box
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. prune — to trim
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. content — happy
  24. ruler — for measuring

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