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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. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. last — final
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. bulb — for light
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. last — finally
  7. wind — moving air
  8. ground — a position
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. content — happy
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. last — to go on
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. ground — crushed
  15. ball — a great time
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. season — of the year
  19. content — the amount
  20. ground — the earth
  21. ball — a dance
  22. season — in sport
  23. wind — moving air
  24. bulb — for light

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