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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. net — for catching
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. stand — to bear
  6. chest — of your body
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. net — in sport
  10. kid — to tease
  11. chest — of your body
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. content — happy
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. tear — from crying
  16. chest — a box
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. kid — child
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. tear — from crying
  21. net — after costs
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. tear — to rip
  24. ruler — for measuring

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