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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. game — a match
  8. row — a line
  9. row — to paddle
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. content — happy
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. saw — the tool
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. bulb — for light
  18. game — wild animals
  19. sharp — clever
  20. lie — to recline
  21. bulb — for light
  22. saw — the tool
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. ruler — for measuring

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