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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 124 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 party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. pop — to visit
  5. chest — a box
  6. spell — letters
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. chest — of your body
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. spell — a short time
  11. content — happy
  12. pop — music
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. land — ground
  15. pop — soda
  16. land — to come down
  17. spell — magic
  18. stand — to bear
  19. chest — of your body
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. content — the amount
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. rash — hasty
  24. land — a country

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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