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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. foot — a measure
  4. field — farmland
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. rule — government
  8. field — a subject
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. wax — to grow
  13. field — for sport
  14. hand — in cards
  15. content — the amount
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. hand — help
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. rule — a law
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. hand — part of the body

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