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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. content — happy
  5. toast — bread
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. content — the amount
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. bat — the animal
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. hand — help
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. mine — for digging
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. kick — in football

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