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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 ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. mug — a face
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. bat — the animal
  7. present — there
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. rush — hurry
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. stem — to come from
  13. present — the time now
  14. mug — to rob
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. game — a match
  18. content — happy
  19. present — a gift
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. mug — a cup
  22. game — wild animals
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. content — the amount

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