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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. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. chest — of your body
  5. chest — a box
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. chest — of your body
  10. content — happy
  11. kick — in football
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. bass — the fish
  15. sharp — clever
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. bass — low music
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. content — the amount
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. patient — a sick person
  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