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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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Word bank
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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. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. cue — a hint
  3. board — a committee
  4. content — the amount
  5. charge — electricity
  6. cold — an illness
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. sharp — clever
  11. cue — for pool
  12. squash — the sport
  13. board — to get on
  14. charge — a price
  15. squash — to crush
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. cue — a signal
  22. charge — in control
  23. cold — not warm
  24. content — happy

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