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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. pop — to visit
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. content — the amount
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. rash — a series
  12. root — of a plant
  13. wound — an injury
  14. root — the cause
  15. pop — music
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. pop — soda
  18. root — of a word
  19. wound — an injury
  20. content — happy
  21. rash — hasty
  22. cell — a phone
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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