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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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. last — finally
  4. content — happy
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. rule — government
  8. content — the amount
  9. last — final
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. last — to go on
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. board — to get on
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. row — to paddle
  18. foot — a measure
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. board — a committee
  22. rule — a law
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. row — a quarrel

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