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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. content — happy
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. pop — music
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. rule — a law
  9. rule — government
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. pop — soda
  15. bulb — for light
  16. bulb — for light
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. content — the amount
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. capital — money
  22. pop — to visit
  23. capital — a city
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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