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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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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 was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. wind — moving air
  3. wind — moving air
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. content — happy
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. squash — to crush
  10. mate — a friend
  11. content — the amount
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. mate — a partner
  15. wake — a trail
  16. mine — for digging
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. mate — to breed
  22. pitch — completely
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. squash — the sport

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