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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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. content — happy
  3. file — a tool
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. tear — from crying
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. bass — low music
  8. content — the amount
  9. lie — to recline
  10. file — a document
  11. pass — a permit
  12. tear — from crying
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. file — a line of people
  20. tear — to rip
  21. bark — to shout
  22. bass — the fish
  23. content — videos and posts
  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