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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. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. content — happy
  5. band — a music group
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. band — a ring
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. press — to push
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. press — newspapers
  17. kid — child
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. kid — to tease
  20. cold — not warm
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. cold — an illness
  23. content — the amount
  24. press — a publisher

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