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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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. net — after costs
  3. board — to get on
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. cell — a phone
  6. object — a thing
  7. content — happy
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. board — a committee
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. net — in sport
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. object — an aim
  16. net — for catching
  17. content — the amount
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. cell — in biology
  22. object — to protest
  23. bat — the animal
  24. pitcher — a jug

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