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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. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. content — happy
  3. fall — to drop
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. fall — the season
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. rest — what's left
  14. rest — a break
  15. fall — to drop
  16. bound — certain
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. bat — the animal
  19. bound — tied together
  20. content — the amount
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. bound — obliged
  23. chair — a leader
  24. pound — a weight

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