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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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. rash — a series
  4. ground — crushed
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. content — happy
  9. lean — thin
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. cold — an illness
  14. cold — not warm
  15. ground — a position
  16. bear — the animal
  17. rash — hasty
  18. lean — to bend
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. content — the amount
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. ground — the earth
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. rash — on the skin

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