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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. march — music
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. net — for catching
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. content — the amount
  7. rest — what's left
  8. net — in sport
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. net — after costs
  11. rest — a break
  12. stem — to come from
  13. content — happy
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. march — the month
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. march — the month
  21. sharp — clever
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. rest — what's left

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