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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. mug — to rob
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. rush — hurry
  7. mug — a face
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. mug — a cup
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. pass — a permit
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. mine — for digging
  20. content — the amount
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. wind — moving air
  24. wind — moving air

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