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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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. drill — the tool
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. cell — a phone
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. content — happy
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. game — a match
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. drill — army training
  14. game — wild animals
  15. last — to go on
  16. cell — in biology
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. content — the amount
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. craft — a skill
  22. last — final
  23. drill — a practice
  24. last — finally

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