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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 116 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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. band — a ring
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. content — happy
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. bat — the animal
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. lie — to recline
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. pop — to visit
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. content — the amount
  19. pop — music
  20. mine — for digging
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. band — a music group
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. bat — in an idiom

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