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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. cold — not warm
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. firm — a company
  6. content — the amount
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. rash — hasty
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. firm — steady
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. rash — a series
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. sharp — clever
  16. wind — moving air
  17. cold — an illness
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. content — happy
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. firm — decided
  24. wind — moving air

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